Mind the Gap
by Sage Thrasher
Summary: A psychiatrist is reborn—and promptly diagnoses the Naruto world as clinically insane. [OC-Insert]
1. Falling

**Chapter One: Falling**

* * *

><p>For all intents and purposes, Mita Kimiko was an ordinary girl. At least, she was ordinary if you ignored the fact that she was actually a twenty-six year old psychiatrist stuck in the body of a six year-old. And that she had been reborn in a fictional universe.<p>

Other than that, she was perfectly normal.

Her parents were merchants and upstanding members of the community. Her grades were slightly above average, and she got along well with all the children in her class. Kimiko was always, _always_ polite to her teachers, and she never caused any trouble.

In other words, the ideal child.

If you questioned her parents about any odd behavior, then they might mention that she had cried a lot as baby. They might also mention her unusual love of reading.

That was the extent of her abnormality.

To any moderately sane person, Kimiko was an ordinary girl who went to Konoha's civilian school.

Of course, they'd be wrong.

* * *

><p>Kimiko—or Kimi, as she preferred to be called—tapped her pencil against the desk as she pretended to struggle with basic math.<p>

"Remember to line up the numbers…" droned on the teacher.

The not-really-six-year-old girl sighed and let her mind wander. Kimi loved learning—she truly did—but sitting through school a second time was not something she wanted to do. Kimi grimaced as she remembered the tons of homework, tests, and (_oh god)_ college applications. Did the Naruto world even have universities? She made a mental note to find out.

Frankly, she still found it hard to believe that she was in a fictional universe. In her past life, she'd casually watched the show _Naruto_, mildly entertained by the humor and world building. Once she had become conscious, Kimi had noticed too many similarities between this world and the show for it to be a coincidence. At first, she'd wondered if everything was a hallucination or something similar. But everything was so detailed, without the inconsistencies she'd come to expect from a dream. Initially, she had refused to believe it was all real, but in the end, she had decided to treat this world as reality and proceed from there.

Really, the situation was quite surreal. Even the thought of reincarnation had been absurd in her past life, but to actually experience it . . .

And if it was real, how did the reincarnation system work, anyway? Did that mean souls were real? During her early childhood stage—in other words, when she'd been helpless and terribly bored—Kimi had spent hours struggling with the concept.

When she hadn't been pondering "metaphysical nonsense," as she called it, she had been grieving. Kimi knew that the chances of ever seeing her family or friends again were almost nonexistent. And she had left _them_; they hadn't left her. Everyone had probably mourned her loss before moving on to live happy, productive lives. Better her than them. She _realized_ that.

But it still hurt.

Six years in a new world had turned the sharp pain into a dull ache. Being—having been—a psychiatrist, she knew the importance of grieving. Infantile amnesia had made it difficult to even think coherently, but in her toddler years she had cried a great deal.

Never underestimate the healing power of tears. If it wasn't for that damn "Rule 25" of the Shinobi Code, then Konoha's ninja population would be _much_ more mentally stable. And this world probably wouldn't be as messed up.

"Hey!" A loud voice broke her rather depressing train of thought.

"Yes, Yasu-chan?" asked Kimi, smiling at the boisterous girl.

"Class is done, silly! Let's play outside!"

"Ok, I'm coming." Kimi quickly packed away her books and headed outside for the equivalent of recess. Playing with children was exhausting, but she had plenty of experience with kids. In her past life, she had been the eldest child—and that included her extended family. Wrangling three brothers and six cousins wasn't too different from playing with a class of twenty-seven children. More often than not, she ended up as the referee for the games; which, more often than not, happened to be ninja-related.

Sure, it made Kimi little queasy to watch six-year olds pretend to kill each other with knives, but kids played games like that everywhere, including her own world.

"Goro-kun!" she called out. "Please don't bite Aki-chan! Shinobi don't bite people, remember?" Well, that last part was a lie. Kimi was pretty confident that a trained killer would have no problems with biting someone. But Goro, who was obsessed with everything ninja, didn't need to know that. However, he _did_ need to know not to bite people. Six was too old for biting to be acceptable. His parents really hadn't disciplined him correctly.

Kimi sighed as she tried to keep Aki-chan from fighting back. It wasn't _fun_ to play with these children. More like exhausting, actually. But it was necessary to keep her cover. An anti-social child would only draw attention.

_Necessity._ That had become the guiding force of her new life. Hiding, conforming, pretending . . . everything was _necessary_ in order to survive. Her early life here had been peaceful, but Kimi didn't delude herself by pretending it would always be that way. She was too reasonable for that.

After an uneventful recess, class continued as normal. Kimi expected to be dismissed after "history" class (or propaganda class, as she called it), but the teacher instead held them back for a special announcement.

"Children," said Shun-sensei, attempting to act excited, "I have great news! Tomorrow, two shinobi are coming to talk to the class. Isn't that wonderful?"

The class burst into chatter, but Kimi only felt a sinking feeling. _Shinobi._ From what she could tell, the Third Shinobi War was in full swing. The only reason ninja would spend time at the civilian school instead of the war front was to recruit more _children._

She kept her expression neutral as her classmates chattered enthusiastically. For civilians, even those in Hidden Villages, the shinobi lifestyle possessed incredible allure. But for her, shinobi were simply a reminder of the dangers and risks in her new life. Kimi held back a sigh. All she had to do was keep her head down. Hide. Conform. Pretend. She could do this.

Forcing a grin, Kimi nodded as her 'friend' Yasu babbled about how ninjas were so _awesome._ She followed the girl to the front of the school, waving goodbye.

"Kimi-chan!" Her mother smiled and gave her a hug. Though they weren't her original parents, Kimi loved them all the same. It did disconcert Kimi to be treated like a child, but it was rather hard not to love them when they cared for her unconditionally. "How was your day?"

"Good," Kimi responded. "Two shinobi are coming tomorrow for a dem-demonstration." She deliberately fumbled the last word and beamed at her mom.

"Sounds interesting." Kimi and her mother spent the rest of the walk home chatting about mundane things. Under her cheerful façade, Kimi worried about the two ninja coming to school tomorrow. Everything she had built over the past six years could come tumbling down with one mistake. But there was nothing she _could_ do but wait.

* * *

><p>Lying in bed, Kimi listened as her parents spoke in hushed voices. The walls were thinner than her parents realized, and their daughter wasn't fast asleep like they expected.<p>

"I don't know what to do, Emi. The war is making it difficult to receive shipments of any kind. If there's nothing to sell, then—"

"The war can't last forever, dear. We still have savings. We can hold out for a little longer."

Her father sighed. "I'm not sure we can. With Kimi's school fees and the increasing prices, our savings will be gone in a few months."

"Think positively! At least the village is still safe. _We're_ still safe. All we need to do is weather the storm for a little longer."

A dry chuckle. "The village could be the safest place on earth, but if we don't have money to buy our next meal –"

"Stop it, Takumi. I won't hear any more of this pessimistic nonsense."

She closed her eyes as the familiar argument started up again. Although Kimi had known about the money problem for a while, only recently had finances really become an issue. Her father dealt with luxury goods, and not many people could buy fancy soap or perfume in the middle of a war.

With those thoughts in mind, she drifted into a restless slumber.

For the first time in months, Kimi dreamed of the day she died.

* * *

><p><em>"This trial's a failure. The lack of any improvement . . ." <em>

_The voices of her colleagues faded, leaving only silence. Colors around her began to blur, and she was forced into a standstill. _

_ "I—" The world spun around her, faster and faster like some demented carnival ride. Sounds returned and intensified until the noises overwhelmed her._

_"Hey, are you alright?"_

_Dark spots began to eat into her vision. Her head pounded like a hammer was forcing its way through her skull._

_Someone called out her name, and everything went black._

* * *

><p>Kimi woke quietly, taking deep breaths to steady her frantic heart. <em>Still alive. Still alive.<em> _I am fine. I am fine._ As she pushed aside the confusion and desperation that lingered, she slowly calmed her jumbled brain. Kimi threw off the covers as she reached for the clock by her bed, grimacing at the time. School wouldn't start for another three hours, but Kimi knew that she couldn't fall back to sleep. With a sigh, she grabbed the journal by her bed.

The nightmares had started when she was four. The first time, she had simply dismissed the bad dream. But after she had dreamed of her past death for the third time, Kimi had begged her parents to buy her several journals. She couldn't _talk_ to anyone about her nightmares, but writing about traumatic events could be just as therapeutic. The first book functioned simply as that—a place to write down her thoughts and dreams. In the second journal, Kimi had recorded every detail she could remember about the plot of _Naruto_, a show she had casually watched in college and the setting of her current world. After Kimi had begun writing, the dreams had faded in intensity and frequency. She wrote in her books almost religiously, now.

Each book used a different language. The journal she used for describing her past life and current dreams was in English. Her second, more secret journal was written in Spanish. And as a decoy for her parents, she had filled a third book with childish Japanese writing. They were all for reasonable security reasons, but Kimi had wryly acknowledged that her paranoia had increased ten-fold.

Stifling a tired sigh, she flipped open to the first blank page and began writing to quell her mental turmoil.

_I experienced the recurring nightmare of my death. The increased stress from the announcement of the shinobi visitors and the growing financial problems may have contributed to its reoccurrence._

She paused in her writing, listening for any signs that her parents may have awoken.

_I plan to visit the civilian library tomorrow. I finished the children's novel and the book on chakra usage vs. physical health. Much to my disappointment, most of the scientific knowledge is restricted to the Shinobi Archives. Thankfully, civilian doctors are given leeway to access the more advanced medical texts. I don't look forward to completing med school a second time, though I have a suspicion that doctors are trained mostly through apprenticeships here. My parents still haven't noticed the more sophisticated scientific books I smuggle along with the typical kid's stories._

Kimi continued writing mundane facts and events that had happened earlier today, gradually relaxing as the nightmare began to fade from her memory. Dying of (what she assumed was) an aneurism was bad enough the first time, but repeating the experience was definitely not fun. _I must have really pissed off the neurology gods by studying psychiatry instead,_ she thought wryly. With that thought, Kimi hid the journal and pointlessly attempted to fall asleep.

* * *

><p>Kimi finished the last math problem and put her pencil down stiffly. Normally after math, they had recess, but the ninja would be giving their "demonstration" today instead.<p>

"Alright, settle down!" The teacher managed to quiet the animated children, which was no small feat. Once the class had become completely silent, the teacher spoke.

"As you know, a shinobi is coming to talk with us. Now, I want you to be on your best behavior. Understand?"

"Yes, sensei!" chorused the class.

"Good. Our special guest should be here any minute."

A sudden swirl of smoke and leaves proved the teacher right. Kimi resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Well, this ninja certainly had a flair for the dramatic. Preparing herself for additional dreadful propaganda, Kimi smiled and cheered as the shinobi showed off his "ninja tricks."

Absentmindedly, she noted that Seijo Hito was very good at what he did. His body language was open and welcoming: shoulders relaxed, smiling, making eye contact with each child. His gestures enhanced his performance instead of distracting the students, and he spoke with a clear and steady voice. All in all, Seijo was an excellent speaker, engaging the kids with almost negligible effort. Kimi wondered if he was a teacher at the Academy, as he handled the children with skill that almost impressed her. Of course, then she listened to his actual speech and was reminded of his purpose here. Kimi resisted the urge to scowl. There were only fifteen minutes left. She could do this.

* * *

><p>Yamanaka Isamu watched his teammate lecture the civilian children on the ninja life. The war had decimated the ninja forces, and they were desperate for new soldiers. Well, these children wouldn't be ready for another few years, but they could definitely fill the ranks of the next generation. His partner Hito was a chuunin from a civilian family, putting him in the perfect position to convince these kids. While the children were focused on Hito, Isamu could observe them without attracting any attention and determine which ones were suited for the Academy.<p>

As he watched, somewhat bored, a girl in the back corner caught his eye. Had he just spotted . . . disgust? The girl laughed and gasped at all the right place, but—well, if he didn't know better, he'd say it was forced. Her body language looked slightly uncomfortable, and she seemed unusually focused on the instructor. Odd.

Isamu frowned slightly and turned to the other students. Perhaps it was just his imagination. Eyes narrowed, he made a mental note to learn her name.

* * *

><p>The demonstration . . . actually hadn't been so bad. Even she had to admit that the techniques were impressive. She'd always loved magic shows and fantasy novels. If Kimi ignored what he was saying, she could probably even enjoy the presentation.<p>

Kimi hoped it was a one-time thing and that she would never see that shinobi again. But for some reason, she doubted that.

* * *

><p>Two weeks later, the shinobi visited again. Two weeks after that, they came a third time. The demonstrations continued with regularity. Kimi watched with dismay as several students fell prey to the indoctrination and signed up. Ten out of the twenty-seven children in her class had applied to the Academy, and nine had been accepted. Kimi felt her stomach churn whenever she spotted the empty desks.<p>

Not being trained in the shinobi arts, Kimi failed to notice the second shinobi that always accompanied the chuunin. But the Yamanaka did not fail to notice _her_. As he observed her behavior, his doubts only grew.

* * *

><p>As the lectures continued, the shinobi began speaking less about recruitment, and more about supporting their ninja protectors. Kimi noticed that the ninja even threw in a few first-aid tips for wounds. At least <em>some<em> good had come from the propaganda sessions. The children who wanted to become shinobi had already applied to the Academy, so Kimi supposed that Seijo Hito had continued the visits to solidify the children's respect for ninja.

When the chuunin had announced that this would be the last time he would speak to them, Kimi internally celebrated. _Finally_, she could breathe in peace without fear of chocking on the indoctrination polluting the air.

Hiding her smile behind a pout, Kimi listened as Hito said his goodbyes, reminding them once again that the Academy would accept applications for another three months. He stopped by each student's desk, speaking to each personally. A few students proclaimed their intentions for shinobi-hood loudly and beamed at Hito's encouragement.

". . . and I'm gonna be like Tsunade-sama! I'll be the best kunoichi ever!" The chuunin grinned at the cheerful girl.

"I'm sure you will, Aki-chan. If you work hard and your parents let you try for the Academy, then you'll definitely become a great kunoichi." Hito then moved on to Kimi's desk, resting his hand on the flat surface.

_Mild intimidation_, she thought idly. _Encroaching on personal space, leading to discomfort._

"How about you, Kimi-chan? Do you want to become a kunoichi too?" He leaned forward, still smiling.

Kimi felt a jolt of irrational fear. She had stayed out of the limelight, never attracting attention. Why would he—no, she was just being stupid. Hito had asked that question to almost all of the students. Now was just her turn.

Ducking her head, Kimi looked at the desk shyly. While a part of her toyed with the idea of telling him _exactly_ what she thought of that idea, Kimi's rational side stuck to the plan. "U-um, maybe. Ninja are really cool, but I don't want to get my dress dirty. Mommy would be mad." Kimi fidgeted and looked away.

Perfect. Now she was the image of a wishy-washy civilian girl who was too shy to hurt a fly, let alone kill a person. She was the _worst_ candidate for becoming a ninja.

Seemingly satisfied, Hito nodded. "That's ok, Kimi-chan. Not everyone can be a ninja." He walked to the student behind her, continuing with his farewells.

Relieved, Kimi returned to her doodling. She was safe. She would be fine.

* * *

><p>As a reward for being on their best behavior for their guest, the children were allowed to skip history and spend the rest of the day in recess. Summer vacation was starting soon, so the children weren't learning much anyway.<p>

Kimi sat on the rickety swing, keeping an eye on the children playing fifteen feet away. They were playing hide-and-seek, so they didn't need much supervision. She smiled as a light breeze ruffled her hair, enjoying the pleasant weather. For the first time in weeks, she could finally relax.

"Mita Kimiko?" said an unfamiliar voice behind her. She quickly jumped off the swing and turned around. What Kimi saw made her blood run cold.

A blond, cheerful looking _shinobi_ was smiling at her. His hands rested by his sides, and his entire body-posture was carefully manipulated to appear as unthreatening as possible.

"Hi." She stepped back cautiously, glancing at her much-too oblivious classmates. "Who are you?"

"My name is Yamanaka Isamu." The light glinted off his hitai-ate as he tilted his head slightly. "Is it alright if I talk to you, Kimiko-chan?"

"Kimi is fine," she replied automatically. Kimi took another step back, eyes flickering to his bandaged leg. "Why do you want to talk to me?" She hesitated. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

"But I'm not a stranger," he corrected gently, "I'm a shinobi." Isamu pointed at his hitai-ate. "See?"

"How do I know you're _really_ a shinobi and not an imposter?" she countered. Kimi looked back at the children. They really should have noticed the ninja by now—they would have gleefully swarmed him if they knew he was here. _Genjutsu?_

"Well," Isamu paused thoughtfully, "we could go to the Uchiha Police Station by the school, or we could talk to your teacher. If you want, I could give you my shinobi registration number. Then you could look me up later."

She was tempted to run to the police or call the teacher, but that would be much too paranoid for a six-year old.

"Ok. Give me your re-ris-tration number." She purposefully fumbled on the larger world and pouted.

"It's B0059887623," he recited smoothly. Kimi nodded as she committed the string of numbers to memory.

"So, what do you want?" Kimi kicked the pebble by her foot and forced herself to look up.

He waved his hand towards the picnic table by the swing. "Why don't we sit down first?"

She followed the ninja and seated herself on the other side of the table. Kimi waited for the ninja to say the first word.

"As I mentioned before, my name is Yamanaka Isamu. I'm Hito-san's partner." He smiled again. "While Hito-san was busy teaching everyone about ninjas, I was watching the class for those exceptional students that would succeed as shinobi or kunoichi."

Kimi said nothing. After a moment, the Yamanaka continued.

"Kimi-chan, why don't you want to be a ninja?" His tone was soft and neutral as he abruptly changed topics.

"B-because I don't wanna get dirty. Mama would be mad," she mumbled in reply, caught off guard.

Isamu tapped his fingers lightly against the table. "I want to know the real reason. We both know you're lying." His voice didn't change, but his posture did.

Kimi tensed involuntarily, cursing her childish body. "W-what?" she said with a deliberate hint of indignation. "I'm telling the truth!"

Isamu clasped his hands leaned forward. "For a six year old, you're an extremely good liar. But did you really think you could deceive a shinobi? Especially one from the Intelligence Department?" His smile grew a tad darker. "I think you're smarter than that. Right, Kimi-chan?"

"What do you mean?" Kimi kept her gaze steady before realizing that a child wouldn't be so nonchalant about the situation. Hiding a grimace, she maintained eye-contact with the shinobi regardless.

"Despite your remarkable attempts, you haven't managed to hide everything. I've been observing you for a while, Kimi-chan. You may have fairly average grades, but I have no doubt that you are far more intelligent that you pretend to be. Why else would you check out _An In-Depth Analysis of the Chakra Systems of Aquatic Species? _Bit heavy reading material for a civilian student, don't you agree?"

Kimi's eyes widened slightly. _Shit._

"There's also your interaction with the other children to take into account." Isamu tilted his head back slightly. "You don't treat them like peers. In fact, you act more like a teacher than the actual instructors in your school. But that's understandable. Intelligent children often have trouble interacting as equals with people from their age group. What I don't understand is why you go to such lengths to hide your… _genius._" His smile faded abruptly. "If it wasn't for your impeccable background, I'd think you're a spy."

Isamu loomed over her, and Kimi cringed. "I'm still not entirely convinced." His voice lost all emotion. "So, _Kimi-chan_, why don't you want to be a ninja? Give me a good reason why I shouldn't take you to Torture and Intelligence right now."

A few seconds passed. Finally, Kimi looked up, and for the first time, she dropped her childish façade.

"I don't want to be a ninja because I don't want to kill others." _And creating child soldiers is absolutely despicable._

"Oh?" Isamu raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue.

"There's also the increased mortality rate to consider, but fear of death isn't my main reason." _I've already experienced dying, after all._ "I… I want to be a doctor. It would be somewhat hypocritical of me to actively murder when I want to save lives."

"You could become a med-nin."

Kimi shook her head. "Well, I could. But there's still the chance that I'll have to commit murder. _Do no harm_," she added wryly. He wouldn't understand the reference, but the point remained.

"Hm…" Isamu's pupil-less eyes examined her. "Why did you lie when Hito-san asked you?"

Kimi gave him an unimpressed look. "Did you think I hadn't noticed? Your indoctrination wasn't exactly subtle. My answer would have undermined your propaganda, and speaking against it would have simply brought attention to me." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "These kids don't understand the hardships of a ninja life. Killing isn't easy. They may learn _super-cool _jutsu, but they'll end up with more mental problems than they can count."

"I did notice that you checked out several psychology books. A passing interest?" He ignored her previous statements, throwing her off balance again.

"Well, yes." Kimi paused and collected her thoughts. "Child-development books are incredibly useful when you're a genius who doesn't know how to act like an ordinary kid." _Though most of my knowledge came from the child-development course I took in med school. But this makes an excellent excuse._

"But why hide your intelligence? You're clearly a brilliant girl."

Kimi blinked incredulously. "Are you kidding me? Do you know how difficult child prodigies have it?"

The Yamanaka chuckled. "I suppose you're right." He expectantly looked at her.

_Ah, silence,_ she thought. _The most effective tool for interrogation. _Kimi sighed and spoke. "I'm not a spy. Really, I'm not!" she exclaimed after seeing his raised eyebrow. "I haven't even met anyone from outside of Konoha." _Oh god. I really don't want to be tortured, but I doubt they'll trust me. It's not like I can tell the whole truth._

"I know."

"What? Wait, you believe me?" She tried to hide her shock.

It was the shinobi's turn to look incredulous. "Kid, I'm a trained shinobi interrogator with years of experience. You may be a genius, but you're a six year old who can't even act like a normal child. I can _obviously _tell when you're lying."

"Um, thanks?"

Isamu smirked. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her.

"You'd make an excellent kunoichi. It would be an absolute shame to waste your talents. If you ever do change your mind, contact me. The Intelligence Department could use you."

Kimi glanced at the paper. "Thanks, but I'd prefer not to be used by anyone just yet."

He inclined his head. "I respect your decision, even if I don't agree with it." Isamu stood up abruptly, giving her another cheerful smile. "Good luck, Kimi-chan. I hope you succeed in whatever you choose."

Kimi studied him, trying to gauge his sincerity. "Thank you, Yamanaka-san." _I hope to never see you again._

With a playful wave, Isamu disappeared in a puff of smoke.

She sighed and folded the paper, tucking it away. _Well, that did not go as I expected. But then again, when does the universe ever do _anything _expected?_

* * *

><p>Yamanaku Isamu jotted down the last few words, briefly reading over his work to check for errors.<p>

"Isamu?" called a familiar voice. The chuunin glanced up to see his older brother standing by a dusty shelf.

"Yes?" Isamu rolled the scroll up and set it on the table..

"Father was looking for you." The fellow blond picked up the scroll, examining it.

"Thanks, Inoichi-nii. I'll head to his office in a few minutes." Isamu grabbed the scroll from his brother and placed beside the others in the archive.

"You're adding a new file?" asked Inoichi. "On who?"

Like most other shinobi clans, the Yamanakas had a special library known as the clan archive for secret techniques and information. However, the Yamanaka clan also had a separate library for personnel reports. Besides having files on every ninja in Konoha, they also had extensive information on anyone they considered important, foreign or civilian. There was a reason that Konoha had the best Bingo Book out of all the nations—and that reason was the Yamanaka clan.

Isamu shrugged. "I'm just adding an entry-level file on a child I met during my rotation at the civilian school." An entry-level file was basically a mark of potential, denoting a person to keep an eye on.

"Oh? One who wanted to be a shinobi? Or one from a prominent family?" Inoichi looked vaguely interested.

"Neither. In fact, she told me that the very idea of becoming a ninja was distasteful." At Inoichi's curious expression, he continued. "The girl—Mita Kimiko, I believe—is a genius with close to Nara-level intellect. She was able to correctly determine our motives, going as far to call it _indoctrination_. She checks out advanced science books for fun, and her vocabulary and maturity is far beyond her age." He chuckled. "The girl is terrible at acting like a child, though. Granted, she could completely manipulate any civilian or untrained genin, but an average ninja would see right through her. But if she had a bit of training…" Isamu trailed of meaningfully.

"I can see why you added a file on her." Inoichi grimaced slightly. "It's a shame she decided on a different career."

"Who knows? Mita Kimiko is only six. She might end up _changing _her mind_._"

"Of course." His older brother returned the mirthless smile. "She just might."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>I wrote this because I wanted to read a story where a mental health professional interacts with the Naruto world. As such, this story _will _be discussing mental illness and trauma. However, I am not a professional myself, and I welcome corrections.

This story is _very_ slow-building. It will also discuss politics, society, and similar concepts—though action, adventure, and drama will be equally present. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Deceiving

**Chapter Two: Deceiving **

* * *

><p>Her parents were arguing again.<p>

For the past few months, she had thought that their money problems were solved with the steady shipment of goods from down south. However, her family's troubles had returned with a vengeance. From what Kimi could tell, her father's supplier had suddenly broken their contract before switching to a different Konohan merchant. Their already precarious financial situation had instantly become worse.

As Kimi laid awake, arms crossed behind her head, she heard whispers of her past life over the heated conversations of her parents. Memories of worried conversations about rent, utility bills, and loans emerged from the depths of her mind. Financial problems were nothing new to someone who had been raised by a single mother on low-income. Hell, she had faced them herself during university, struggling to pay her college tuition and keep her partial scholarship. Some things never changed, she supposed.

"We simply won't be able to pay Kimi's school fees with our savings anymore. We'll have to borrow money."

"But we can't just take a loan! We can wait just a little longer… just until the war is over."

"You've been saying that for the past two years! We can't keep pretending that the war will end tomorrow, Emi! We could lose the _house_ if this keeps up! Do you want to be _homeless?_"

Guilt washed over Kimi as she listened to the rising voices. She had been a self-sufficient woman for years before her rebirth, and here she was, depending on two struggling adults. Kimi knew that her parents didn't see it that way, but she certainly did. Almost unwillingly, Kimi glanced at the bookshelf where she kept her journals, thinking about the offer that Isamu had made.

_I will not drive another parent into debt. I will not be a burden, not again. Never again._

* * *

><p>She rubbed her eyes and sighed, pushing away the books that surrounded her. After a week of research, Kimi concluded that attending the Academy would be the best for her family's financial situation. Unlike the civilian schools, children could attend the Academy for free. However, if said child didn't become genin, then the accumulated tuition would become debt. Supplies had to be paid for out of pocket, though—but compared to normal school fees, the overall cost was definitely cheaper. Even if student chose not to attend on a subsidy, tuition for the Academy was much less expensive than a civilian's school.<p>

Honestly, Kimi preferred quitting school and working to becoming a ninja, but her parents absolutely refused to let her get any kind of job. In fact, when she mentioned leaving school to help out (somehow) with the business, they had point-blank refused, despite their money problems. It made sense, she supposed. Kimi was only six to them—regardless of her mental age.

She grimaced. Her parents had finally turned to loans in order to keep the roof over her head and food on the table. Though they tried to hide it, Kimi knew that her family was incredibly close to declaring bankruptcy and losing everything. If she did attend the Academy, she'd at least be able to save them money. School in Konoha was extremely expensive. And attending the Academy did not mean she'd _have _to become a ninja.

Besides, practically all the doctors in Konoha were current or retired ninja—which something Kimi had only realized just recently. The Med Corps, which ran the main hospital, required applicants to be at least genin. From a security perspective, it was entirely reasonable. It was easiest to kill a ninja when they were already injured. By requiring the doctors to be ninja themselves, the risk of traitors and sabotage was reduced significantly. She still wanted to be a doctor, but there was no way her parents could send her to the capital to study medicine.

And since Kimi preferred fixing people to killing them, becoming a med-nin was a viable option. Medical personnel were rarely on the front lines. Joining the Med Corps was perhaps the only way she could reduce her parent's burden without compromising her integrity. Kimi winced. She would _not_ stoop to murder_. Naruto hadn't killed anyone in the show, right? _ But the thought offered no comfort.

Kimi's gaze fell upon the slip of paper beside her books. She picked it up and reread the small but neat letters written upon the stationary. The Yamanaka did say to visit if she changed her mind… but she had no doubt that the shinobi had his own agenda.

Well, it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion, regardless of bias. The psychiatrist-turned-girl stood up and grabbed her coat. Ignoring her doubts, Kimi headed to the Yamanaka flower shop.

* * *

><p>"Um… excuse me?" Kimi looked up at the blonde woman with wide eyes and a rather adorable smile.<p>

"Oh, hello there!" The woman turned from the potted plant and smiled at the young girl. After glancing around, the florist realized that the child was alone. That wasn't so strange. Generally speaking, clan children and children from ninja families were very independent, so it wasn't too unusual to see them running errands alone. However, this girl was definitely a civilian. "Are you searching for your parents?" she asked kindly.

Kimi shook her head. "My parents are both at work, and my babysitter is just outside." _Well, my father is at work, my mother is sleeping at home, and I don't have a babysitter._

Skeptical but unwilling to push the point, the blonde woman nodded. "I see. Well, how can I help you?"

Kimi looked at her with a serious expression on her face. When the girl spoke, her voice was calm and confident. "My name is Mita Kimiko. I need to schedule an appointment with Yamanaka Isamu. I assume that I can contact him via flower shop?" She quirked a smile and handed the florist the card.

The woman examined the paper and gently placed it aside. "I see," she said smoothly, hiding her surprise and discomfort. "I'll let him know that you visited."

"Thank you." Kimi nodded in appreciation before promptly leaving, intent on returning home as soon as possible.

* * *

><p>Exactly one week later, Kimi received a scroll from a strawberry-blond preteen. From the looks of it, the haggard boy had been recently promoted to genin—and assigned to non-stop message duty. After thanking him, she retreated to the privacy of her room and quickly opened the scroll.<p>

_12th of Summer, the 32nd Year of the Shodaime's Reign_

_Mita Kimiko,_

_The Yamanaka clan would be honored to meet you on the 19th of Summer at two past noon._

At the end of the thick parchment was the Yamanaka clan seal: a stylized bush-clover stamped in black.

With a short sigh of amusement and apprehension, Kimi rolled up the scroll and tucked it carefully in her bookshelf. It seemed like a waste of paper and ink to send such a short message to her. Kimi wondered if she should send a reply, but ultimately she decided against it. _She_ didn't have much paper to spare, and her acceptance would be implied anyway.

Kimi suddenly heard footsteps outside her door, so she grabbed a novel and flopped on her bed, opening the book to a random chapter.

"Kimi-chan?" Her tired mother opened the door and smiled. "Thanks for letting me sleep."

"It's fine!" she chirped in reply. With a laugh, Kimi's mother patted her head.

"Do you want to eat lunch now? There's leftover curry from yesterday."

"Sure!" With some difficulty, Kimi pushed the thoughts of a potential career as a kunoichi and turned her mind to food. After all, curry was delicious—especially in this world.

* * *

><p>Kimi unnecessarily smoothed her skirt as she stood in front of the Yamanaka Clan Compound. Mildly impressed, she observed the intricate metal gates and the flowers that surrounded the wall. Somehow, the Yamanaka clan had managed to make their complex look simultaneously welcoming and threatening.<p>

Hesitantly, she took a step forward and nodded to the two boys on gate duty.

"Hello," she stated politely. "My name is Mita Kimiko. I am here to speak with Yamanaka Isamu."

The boy's pupil-less eyes examined her. After a few seconds, he spoke. "Right this way, please."

As Kimi followed the boy past the gates, she once again wondered about the Yamanaka clan's powers. Obviously, they had to do with the mind—their most famous jutsu was the Mind Body Switch. Did their powers include telepathy? It wasn't too much of a stretch; in fact, it was probably even easier than switching with a person's entire mind. Was that the secret behind the Ino-Shika-Cho trinity's famous teamwork?

For not the first time, Kimi wished she remembered more about the show. She had written down as much of it as she could, but there were still a frightening amount of gaps in her memory.

They stopped in front of the largest and most elegant building. The boy gestured towards the door with a well-practiced gesture.

"Yamanaka-sama is expecting you." He opened the door and ushered her in, causing Kimi to bite back a smile at the extreme politeness he was showing to a supposed six-year old.

"Thank you," she said with uttermost seriousness. The door closed behind her with a soft click.

"Kimi-chan! It's good to see you again. I'm glad you accepted my offer." Yamanaka Isamu grinned, almost abnormally cheerful.

"Likewise."

While making meaningless but mandatory small talk, Isamu led her to a sitting room located deeper in the building. Like everything else in the complex, the room was decorated in light pastel shades, and vases of flowers were strategically placed in various locations. Kimi sat in the blue couch, while Isamu took the armchair across from her. Abruptly breaking off their conversation, he smiled rather mysteriously.

"My father should be here… right now, actually." As he spoke, two more blond men entered the room, followed by a pretty brunette woman carrying a traditional Japanese tea set. _Telepathy?_ she wondered again. _Or just ninja skills?_

"Father," said Isamu, suddenly solemn, "I present to you Mita Kimiko. I made her acquaintance during my rotation at the civilian schools. Kimi-chan, this is my father Yamanaka Inobu, the clan head. Next to him is my brother and the clan heir, Yamanaka Inoichi."

The oldest blond man nodded kindly in her direction. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mita-san." Kimi blinked at the overly formal address. There was no need to speak so politely to a child, especially a civilian one of no importance. The sudden formality was rather disconcerting, especially when considering that she was _speaking to the clan head_. Why _was _such an important ninja speaking to her at all? And why was he treating her as an equal?

"Please, call me Kimi." She watched with fascination as the unintroduced woman deftly prepared the tea with graceful movements. It was almost like watching a dance.

The man inclined his head. "As you wish." Inobu raised the filled teacup and took a sip. "Kimi-san, I noticed that you didn't come with your parents."

"Ah…" She looked down at her own teacup, dropping any remnants of her childish charade. "My parents are unaware of the situation," she said simply.

"Oh?" said the clan head, blond eyebrow raised.

"They believe me to be a regular child." Kimi smiled back. "I'd prefer to keep it that way. Right now, my parents both think I am at a friend's house. They do not expect me back until five."

"I see." Inobu set his teacup down. "Do you mind if I ask a few questions?"

"No, not at all."

What followed was one of the strangest conversations that Kimi had ever participated in—and this included both lives. It was like an interrogation session thinly veiled under normal conversation. She was quizzed on everything, from politics and history to math and science.

It made Kimi want to cry.

Not because of the difficulty of the questions, but because of how the three Yamanakas were treating her.

They were treating her like an adult.

After six years of unintentional belittlement by others and constant secrecy about her intelligence, the ability to act normally caused Kimi to feel almost giddy. She struggled to keep a smile off her face as they discussed the current political system in Kirigakure.

"You think we should intervene with the Mizukage's reign?" asked Inoichi curiously.

If Kimi remembered correctly, Inoichi was Ino's father. Excepting the brief glimpses of the Sandaime during important festivals and events, Inoichi was the first actual character she had seen. Other than the hair and eyes, Inoichi looked nothing like his animated counterpart. In other words, he looked like an actual person. Suddenly uncomfortable, Kimi cut that train of thought. Thinking about this universe's fictionality always made her doubt her sanity.

Kimi frowned and finally answered the clan heir's question. "I don't think we—Konoha, that is—should directly intervene in Kirigakure. We _are_ in the middle of a war. However, the Mizukage is notorious for his ill-treatment of anyone with a bloodline limit. He's tolerating them for now because of their use on the battlefield, but once this war is over, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to kill them all."

"You really think that the Mizukage will stoop to genocide?"

"I have no doubt." _That's what happened in the anime, after all._ "What Konoha could do is to offer refugee to clans or shinobi from Kirigakure once the war is over. We're known for our favorable views of clans and bloodlines, so we should take advantage of that in order to gain more powerful ninja." _And, you know, help people and prevent genocide, but I don't think that argument will convince many shinobi._

"What about the security risks?" replied Inoichi. "Adding all those foreigners, especially after a war, would be a huge liability."

She waved her hand dismissively, internally cringing at what she said next. "Oh, I'm not saying we should accept every person who knocks at our door. We can afford to be selective. There's also the Intelligence Division to take care of that. I'm sure the Torture and Interrogation department could use the experience." Kimi's face grew grim. "Besides, once the purges start, the victims' need for survival will outweigh any misguided patriotism."

"You seem fairly confident about the probability that these so-called purges will actually occur." The clan leader inspected her searchingly from under half-lidded eyes.

"It's just logic." Kimi ducked her head with embarrassment. _And future knowledge. I probably shouldn't be talking about this… why _am_ I talking about this?_

"Well, we will have to wait and see how the situation turns out," said Inobu finally, ending the discussion. He pressed his fingers together and smiled at her. "Kimi-san, are you currently attending civilian school?"

Kimi looked up, mildly surprised. The topic changes had been incredibly subtle before, moving from one issue to another almost seamlessly. To catch her off guard, they had suddenly changed gears, so to speak. Conversational manipulation seemed to be one of the Yamanaka's specialties.

"Currently, yes," Kimi answered. "However, I plan to join the Academy this fall. In fact, that's why I set an appointment with Isamu-san. He asked me to contact him if I wanted to become a kunoichi."

"And do you want to be a kunoichi?" Inoichi leaned forward slightly, hands clasped.

"Joining the Academy is the best option for me." Kimi sipped her tea with mild enthusiasm, not entirely answering the question. Really, the tea was excellent—not too bitter, with an undercurrent of… some flavor she couldn't recognize.

"If you don't mind me asking, which plan will you attend the Academy on?"

"Probably the Graduation Plan," she replied, referring to the plan where children could attend the Academy almost for free with the condition of reaching genin. Not being an orphan, Kimi didn't qualify for the Advancement Plan, which paid for everything, including supplies. "I might attend on the Tuition Plan, though that's unlikely considering—"

Kimi stopped abruptly. She had almost blurted out her family's financial status to complete strangers. Honestly, she had better self-control than that. What was she doing? A child's body didn't mean a child's mentality. She covered her awkward break with a cough, drinking the tea to avoid continuing the statement.

Thankfully, the Yamanaka ignored her mistake and proceeded as if nothing had happened.

"How do you feel about attending the Academy on a sponsorship instead?" questioned the clan head lightly, tapping on the ceramic cup.

"Sponsorship?" Slight confusion bled into her words.

The three shinobi looked at each other.

"The Yamanaka clan wishes to sponsor you for the Academy." Inobu carefully examined the girl's reaction.

Startled, Kimi stared with wide-eyes at the Yamanaka trio. "What?"

"Are you aware of how sponsorships work?" Inoichi smiled at her again.

"Somewhat," she managed to say. "Though I don't know the details."

The Yamanaka head began to clarify. "If a child enters the Academy, his or her clan will take care of everything—paperwork, tuition, supplies, and so on. A clan looks out for its own, after all." Inobu paused here. "Occasionally, a clan may wish to extend the same treatment to a child who might not be a member. In that case, the clan offers what is known as a sponsorship. It is normally given to children who… have the clan's abilities but not its name."

_That_ _was the politest way of saying _bastard_ that I have ever heard, _thought Kimi with amusement.

Inobu continued with his explanation, expression still neutral and polite. "However, sponsorships are also extended to civilian children or orphans that show exceptional potential." The blond man caught her gaze and held it. "Kimi-san, we recognize that you have the capability to become an incredibly-skilled kunoichi. As I stated earlier, the Yamanaka clan is willing to sponsor you for the Academy."

"I…" She licked her dry lips and started again. "I am honored, but… well, why?" Hastily, she added, "I mean, I am grateful but—" Kimi stopped and took a deep breath, closing her eyes and regaining her composure. "What's the catch?" she said, deciding to eschew subtlety altogether. "Why should I accept your sponsorship instead of simply going on the Graduation Plan?"

"The conditions are simple. Your ranking must stay in the top ten of your year, and you must serve for seven years as a kunoichi. Generally, you are expected to defer to the clan's judgment. In return, we will pay for everything in full and give you our backing in all matters, legal or otherwise. "

"Also," hinted Inoichi, "promotions are also much easier to obtain with a clan's help."

Kimi shook her head.

"If I graduate, I plan to enter the Med Corps. I want to serve no more than my required time, and I have no desire to stand out. Will the clan really be willing to support a student who does not want to advance in her career? And considering my wish to remain unnoticed, why should I accept the sponsorship of a prominent clan?"

"Because civilian children get screwed over in the Academy," interjected Isamu, blunter than a hammer. He shrugged at his father's warning look. "It's true. Not every clan child makes it onto a team or an apprenticeship. The ones that do end up in the different corps always receive the best jobs. Most civilian-born ninja—unless they're rich or extremely talented, of course—are assigned to the outposts or the other unwanted positions. Why do you think civilian genin and chuunin have a higher mortality rate? It's not only due to lack of skill. Accepting the sponsorship will keep you _alive, _even if you do enter one of the corps."

"Of course, we will also provide additional training." Inobu seamlessly took control of the conversation. "Civilians are often at a disadvantage in the Academy, especially when compared to clan and shinobi children with years of training."

"But… why are you doing this? What's in it for you?" Kimi frowned. The sponsorship's benefited her disproportionally. Why would a shinobi clan ever offer a sponsorship if they had nothing to gain?

"Is altruism not motivation enough?" Isamu answered her frown with a smile. Kimi gave him a flat, unamused stare.

Inoichi sighed. "Several reasons. First, the war hit Konoha hard. The village is in desperate need of ninja—competent ninja, not just front-line fodder. Hence, the sponsorship. And it is not just the Yamanaka clan that is offering them. The other clans are looking for promising children as well."

Kimi waited for him to continue. No further reply seamed forthcoming.

"And?" she prompted finally.

"You don't expect us to tell you everything, do you? Figure the rest yourself." Isamu's smile became a smirk.

"Please excuse my son's rudeness, but do consider the offer." The Yamanaka head sent a reprimanding glance and motioned to his younger son. Isamu quickly left the room.

She took a moment to admire the Yamanaka's skill. They were playing something similar good cop/bad cop but much more subtle and effective. Inoichi handled most of the general questions and questioning, Isamu took care of the hard questions that a clan heir couldn't politely deal with, and Inobu acted as tempering presence, exuding authority and filling in for the other two. Their technique was practically flawless.

Kimi simply hummed noncommittally. "Am I even allowed to make the decision? I may be mature, but I am physically six."

The clan leader looked at her with something similar to approval. "It is a simple process to legally emancipate you. You need not worry. I will handle everything personally."

"Emancipate me?" said Kimi, alarmed. "I don't want to be separated from my parents!"

Inoichi laughed kindly. "Emancipation will only make you a _legal_ adult, nothing else. The law will recognize you as a full citizen, capable of making your own decisions."

Kimi's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Was it really that easy to become emancipated in this world? The implications were plain _disturbing._ Suddenly, she saw Naruto's situation in a whole new light. Had he been alone from such a young age? No matter what anyone said, six was not old enough to be considered an adult.

Now she had another thing to add to her list of "things messed up about this world."

Regardless of her moral conundrums, legal adulthood would be extremely useful for her. Kimi put her reservations aside and nodded slowly.

"I got it!" Isamu cheerfully exclaimed, reentering the room with a thick stack of papers. He handed them to her and took his seat.

Kimi smiled her thanks and immediately began reading, carefully examining each sentence for hidden meanings. She knew how contracts worked—loopholes were not a new concept for her. But for the most part, the contract was just as they had said. After reading through the documents twice, just to make sure, Kimi set them aside and considered her options. The advantages from accepting the sponsorship were enormous—but at the same time, it seemed too good to be true.

"May I have a few days to consider your offer?" she asked, still unsure.

"No."

Kimi looked up, startled at the clan head's blunt reply.

"You must decide now. If you have reservations about becoming a kunoichi, then the Yamanaka has no interest in sponsoring you." Calmly, Inobu sipped his tea and watched her. All three clan members observed her, serious expressions replacing the friendly ones from before.

Clever. They added a time constraint to increase pressure, making her more likely to agree. She closed her eyes as she decided what to do next, ignoring her slight but growing headache. From a rational standpoint, she had no reason to refuse. And yet…

"I accept."

The atmosphere turned friendly again. "Excellent," murmured the clan head. He pointed to a dotted line on the last page. "All you need to do is sign your name here."

She glanced at the inkwell that had been placed beside the paper. Hesitantly, Kimi grasped the delicate brush and dipped it carefully, watching as the black ink soaked into the soft fibers. Then, in neat, legible characters, Kimi signed her full name on the paper.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"The pleasure is all mine, Kimi-san." Yamanaka Inobu smiled at her, appearing rather grandfatherly—but for a brief moment, his eyes seemed almost sad.

* * *

><p>"She exceeded every one of my expectations." The Yamanaka clan head looked at his youngest son with satisfaction.<p>

"And mine," added Inoichi. "When you said Kimi was smart, I didn't expect her to be _that_ smart. She definitely has intelligence—but her maturity is even more surprising." _And unnerving_, he thought. _She acted just like a miniature adult._

Isamu grinned sheepishly. "I wasn't any more aware than you were."

"But Mita Kimiko is clearly a civilian. She will need much training to match a clan child." Inobu pinned his heir with a sharp look. "Are you sure about choosing her for the sponsorship?"

Inoichi nodded slowly. "I _am_ sure."

"Good," said the head, pleased. "I suggest you start training her with basic skills and physical training. Ask around if you need any help." Inobu rose, silently dismissing his children. "And Inoichi?"

His eldest son paused by the door.

"Remember to give her a background in drugs and poisons. It would be inconvenient if there is a repeat of today. Not everyone is as kind as we are."

"Of course, father." Inoichi stepped out of the study, closing the door quietly behind him.

* * *

><p>At dinner that night, Kimi finally confronted her parents.<p>

_I can't put it off. They deserve to know. _She frowned. Kimi was more nervous than she expected—she had a pounding headache, sweaty palms, and an upset stomach. _Why in the world did I accept the Yamanaka's offer again? My life has suddenly become ten-times more complicated. I should have just attended the Academy by myself_. Kimi closed her eyes. _But it's too late to back out now._

"Mom, Dad, I need to tell you something." She placed her fork down and waited until she had their full attention.

"What is it, Kimi?" asked her mother, a little confused at how serious the child was acting.

"I will be attending the Academy."

The two adults stared.

"What?" Her father blinked rapidly. "Where did that come from?"

Kimi's mother looked thoughtful. "I think Kimi recently had her ninja-orientation."

"Oh!" Chuckling, her father took another bite of his rice. "I remember that. For nearly a month, I begged my parents to enroll me in the Academy."

A smile danced on the older woman's lips. "I wanted to be a kunoichi when I was Kimi's age, too. I used to think it was so romantic."

"I'm serious," interrupted Kimi. Startled by her sharp tone, the two adults immediately turned back to her. "I already signed up."

Her father's forehead wrinkled. "What are you talking about, Kimi?"

"The Yamanaka clan offered me a sponsorship. I accepted." She abruptly stood up, leaving to retrieve the thick packet of paper hidden in her room. "Here." She handed the contract to her still-shocked father, who took it numbly. Almost mechanically, he began reading. Once he finished, he silently handed it to Kimi's mother.

Her other parent was more vocal in expressing her thoughts as she read. "Full payment for tuition and supplies? Complete legal backing? Extra training?" Her mother looked up. "How… how did you…"

"One of the shinobi at the orientation was a member of the Yamanaka clan. He spoke to the clan head about sponsoring me. Yamanka-sama agreed, so they enrolled me into the Academy."

"They can't do that without our permission!" said her father suddenly, voice coloring with anger.

"They can." Kimi gazed calmly at her father. "I don't know the details, but you can talk to Inobu-sama if you want." That was a lie. She knew that they had emancipated her—but she didn't want to be the one who broke the news to her parents. Besides, she had to keep _some_ of the childish façade that her parents were used to.

"You bet I will," her father snarled. He stormed out of the room, dinner forgotten.

_That went… pretty much how I expected._

After a brief glance in the direction of her husband, Kimi's mother examined her with concern. "Kimi, are you sure about this? Do you really want to be a kunoichi?"

_No. I don't. I don't want to hurt or kill, and I'll do my damn best to make sure that doesn't happen_. "I'm sure, mommy." Kimi deliberately used the more babyish form of address, reaching up to hug her mother. "I'm sure."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Yes, the Yamanaka did what you think they did.

If you have any questions—any questions at all about Kimi's decision or anything in the story—please PM me/leave them in a review. I'd be happy to explain the rationale behind the decision.

I forgot to do this last chapter, but here are some recommendations for other SI/OC-insert fics. I've read a lot, and many have inspired this story. I'll try to recommend at least one fanfic every chapter. I'll start with the big three: **Dreaming of Sunshine** by _Silver Queen,_ **Vapors **by _ElectraSev5n, _and **Catch Your Breath **by _Lang Noi._ All are great. Also, any story written _Darkpetal16_ is generally very good.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Improving

**Chapter Three: Improving**

* * *

><p>After finding out that yes—his daughter was enrolled in the Academy, and no—he could not change that, Kimi's father was in a terrible mood the entire week. It was only made worse by the elegant letter that invited Kimi, and only Kimi, to visit the Yamanaka clan compound.<p>

The psychiatrist-turned-child simply sighed at the waste of paper from sending the overly formal invitation. Though worded as a request, the letter was practically an order. She had no choice but to go.

Kimi gave her parent's one last hug before heading out the door.

"I'll see you soon! Bye!"

Kimi's mother and father half-heartedly replied to her farewells. With a slight twinge of guilt, Kimi hurried to the complex, nodding once to the teenage guards by the gate. Like last time, she was escorted to an empty room where she waited patiently.

"Kimiko-san!" called out a voice. She flinched and spun around.

"Inoichi-sama?" Kimi blinked at the clan heir. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, don't be so formal." The blond grinned at her. "Call me sensei instead."

"Wait. _You're_ the one who's teaching me?" Why was _Inoichi—_clan heir and member of the current generation's Ino-Shika-Cho trio—here? She'd expected a less important clan member.

Remembering her manners, she hastily added, "Please, call me Kimi-chan." Using the suffix of _san _for a child had to be rather uncomfortable. Besides, she was so used to being called by a diminutive that formalities seemed almost strange.

"Ok, Kimi-chan," agreed Inoichi easily, smiling in return. "I was planning on starting your training today. Why don't we head to the training fields?"

"Sure." Kimi followed the shinobi in silence as the left the building and walked across the complex. Eventually, they came to a large field at the edge of the compound. She quickly scanned the field and saw no one else, which was rather surprising.

"This is one of the clan's personal training grounds," Inoichi explained, catching her confused expression. "This particular field is generally reserved for the main family."

"Ah." There it was again. _Why all this special treatment?_

"I think it would be a good idea to start on taijutsu first." Inoichi looked at her seriously. "Are you ready? The training won't be easy."

"I understand." She couldn't back out now.

"Good. We'll begin with how to fall—or what is properly known as _ukemi_." Inoichi stepped back, his footsteps silent against the flattened ground. "Many injuries, especially broken bones, are caused by improper landings. And if your enemy causes you to fall, then you must know how to recover."

She nodded, listening intently to his words.

"I'll demonstrate the basic fall." The blond fell to the ground and rolled, ending in a standing position. "The most important part is the roll. Even if you fall awkwardly, rolling can mitigate the damage. And staying stationary is an excellent way to end with a kunai to your throat." He looked at her. "Now, I want you to bend over, as if you're trying to touch your toes."

Kimi obeyed, letting her fingers brush her feet. Inoichi walked closer and shook his head. "We'll have to get you proper shoes," he muttered. "Those will cause you to break your ankle. Take them off for now."

Kimi blinked. "Ok." She hastily discarded her shoes. After setting them aside, she leaned over again. Inoichi knelt beside her and adjusted her arm.

"Turn your elbow to the side. Since you're right-handed, your instinct will be to fall on that arm. If you turn your right arm to the side, you'll be able to control your fall easier." He walked to the side. "Now, I want you to roll. Tuck your chin and fall."

_Like gymnastics tumbling_, thought Kimi, remembering P.E. class. She fell forward gracelessly and ended up sprawled on her back.

"Again."

She tried again, with about the same results. He adjusted her footing and gave her a gentle push, causing her to fall again. Each time Kimi fell, Inoichi would comment, correct her, and make her do it again.

Her arms and legs soon became tired, but at least her form was proper now.

"Good," said Inoichi finally. Then, without a word of warning, he swept her feet out from under her with a well-timed kick.

Kimi barely managed to roll, landing clumsily on her shoulder instead of on her feet.

Inoichi offered a hand, which Kimi grudgingly took.

"Not bad," he remarked with a smile. "Now, let's move on…"

* * *

><p>She lay panting on the floor, completely exhausted. Everything hurt. Her arms, her legs, her back… every muscle was simply <em>sore<em>.

"You did well," murmured Inoichi. "Now, let's head inside. It's getting late. I don't want your parents to worry."

Somehow, Kimi managed to stand up. She followed him, legs trembling, and walked out of the training field.

* * *

><p>For the next few weeks, they focused almost exclusively on taijutsu—the Konoha standard, for the most part, with a one or two clan moves thrown in. Although Inoichi was her main sensei, Isamu frequently trained her when the heir was busy or on missions. When neither was available, she practiced the techniques by herself in the training grounds. With help from her teachers, books, and frequent practice, Kimi soon improved.<p>

Her training began to include other aspects, such as weapon-throwing. Eventually, she was able to throw kunai and shuriken with middling accuracy. Her preferred weapon, however, was the senbon. Unlike the other two, senbon rarely caused fatal wounds, and senbon injuries were much easier to heal. Of course, she didn't use real weapons when practicing. Kimi only used the blunt ones, much to her relief.

Once her skills in taijutsu and weapons were deemed acceptable, they finally moved on to the subject that Kimi was the most curious about: chakra. But like most things in her life, her training did not go as she expected.

* * *

><p>"Hello," said an unfamiliar voice. "My name is Yamanaka Misaki. It's a pleasure to meet you."<p>

Kimi blinked at the lady standing in the doorway of the waiting room. "Er, hello," she replied. "I'm Mita Kimiko. But please, call me Kimi." She internally frowned. The woman looked familiar, but Kimi didn't know why.

Misaki walked closer, each step elegant and confident. "Please excuse my appearance," she said apologetically. "I came straight from the daycare, and I did not have time to change."

"That's perfectly fine." Kimi glanced at her, still unsure of why the lady was here.

Misaki caught her look and smiled. "My husband asked me to help train you, as he was too busy to personally attend."

Kimi knew that Isamu was unmarried, since he often complained about his lack of a girlfriend. So that meant… "You're Inoichi-sensei's wife?"

"Indeed. He hasn't mentioned me before?" Misaki raised a delicate eyebrow, expression stern.

"Uh… well, I—" Suddenly flustered, Kimi tried to think of a way to say 'no' politely without getting Inoichi in trouble.

"I'm just teasing," she said, laughing gently. "Inoichi's rather paranoid when it comes to revealing information. It comes from working at the Intelligence Department, I think. However, he did tell me that he was very disappointed about not making it today. He wanted to begin working with chakra, a subject I heard you were quite interested in. Why don't we head towards the dojo so we can get started?"

Chakra? Kimi's eyes widened. She had asked (pestered) Inoichi about chakra theory, but he had been rather tight-lipped on the subject. Chakra was the biggest mystery of this world, and the scientist in her was just dying to figure it out. "Of course!" said Kimi, unable to hide her excitement. "I'd love to!"

As she walked alongside the older lady, Kimi suddenly realized where she had seen Misaki before. _She was the woman who served tea during my first visit to the compound. I wonder why Inobu-sama didn't introduce her…_

Soon, they arrived to the dojo. The room was built in the traditional style: large, rectangular, and with wood paneling. On a scroll, written in beautiful calligraphy, was one of the Yamanaka clan's favorite expressions—_Silence is a flower_.*

Misaki walked to the center of the room and sat gracefully on one of the mats, knees tucked under. Kimi copied her, seating herself directly in front of the older woman.

"Now," began Misaki, "what do you know about chakra?"

_Not much_. "It's created from the combination of spiritual and physical energy in a person's body," Kimi dutifully parroted. Ninja guarded information about chakra jealously, barely letting any non-ninja learn about more than the basics. Truth be told, she'd learned more about chakra from the show than from the books available from civilians.

"Excellent." Misaki held out her hand, letting it glow with a purple light. "Chakra use is generally separated into two categories: shape transformation and nature transformation. Shape transformation refers to the direct release of Yin and Yang energies, or spiritual and physical energies, as you said. Medical jutsu and physical enhancement are the most common forms of shape transformation."

The light faded, giving way to a small flame. "Nature transformation, the second kind, is the refining of chakra to its base elemental nature. There are five main elements: fire, wind, lightening, earth, and water. Each person has a primary affinity that they can learn to harness. With practice, it is possible to use the other natures. In the Land of Fire, as the name suggests, fire is the most common affinity."

All this information was nothing new, but Kimi still listened attentively. "Incredible," she whispered, staring at the flame. "How does chakra work? I mean, how does chakra interact with the human body?" _How is that possible?_ _How can people create fire out of functionally nothing? _The small blaze died down, and the Yamanaka looked at her curiously. After a few seconds, the older woman began explaining.

"Well, physical energy is present in all the cells in your body, and it moves from the cells to the central chakra coils in the stomach. Spiritual energy is the opposite, moving from the central coils to the different chakra pathways in the body. Physical and spiritual chakra are combined in the stomach, and refined chakra is sent through the pathways and released through tenkutsu." Misaki pursed her lips. "But that's a bit technical and not at all important. We should begin working on harnessing chakra."

Kimi internally sighed. Those few sentences had expanded her knowledge of chakra immensely. Personally, she was extremely interested in learning about a substance that defied all known laws of physics. But learning how to _use_ said substance was just as interesting. Kimi had admittedly tried to use chakra, once or twice, but she had no idea how to. Her body felt… normal. There was no magic energy floating around in it, though Kimi had seen evidence proving otherwise.

"The first step to using chakra is to feel it. The hands have the largest tenkutsu, so it's easiest to start from there." Misaki held out her own hands. After a moment of hesitation, Kimi placed hers on the Yamanaka's.

"I want you to close your eyes and relax," murmured Misaki. "Try to clear your mind as you listen to my voice. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in…"

Kimi closed her eyes and focused on meditating. She obeyed the soothing voice and felt her muscles unwind. Slowly, the tension and excitement began to ebb away, and her thoughts faded.

"Good. Now, I will send a pulse of chakra into your hands. It should help you sense your own chakra."

Kimi felt a warm sensation begin at her palms. It started to spread, growing hotter. Then, it began to burn with the fierce intensity of a supernova, coursing through her veins like liquid flames, simultaneously scalding and freezing. Every cell in her body was on fire, her nerves alight with alien perceptions, growing in power—

She screamed.

Kimi curled into a ball as every muscle spasmed. Her brain spun, unable to keep pace with the new information coming from every part of her body. Slowly, the flood of pain ebbed, and rational thought returned.

"—mi! Kimi! Can you understand me?"

She stared at her hands, disregarding the voice that called her name.

This was an utterly new form of stimuli.

She had gained another _sense_.

Kimi couldn't properly describe it. It was like a deaf person hearing sound for the first time, a blind person finally seeing color. Every pinprick, every movement of chakra through her coils, _everything_…. she could feel it all.

It was terrifying.

Dimly, a corner of her mind pulled out an old study she had read years ago. It detailed the experience of people who had received cochlear implants later in their life, giving them the ability to hear. One particular person had admitted that sound—or listening to anything, in general—often scared him, and that he frequently turned off the implant when it overwhelmed him.

Chakra felt very much the same.

Finally, Kimi looked up.

"Yes?" she said, finally.

Misaki looked at her with concern. "Are you alright? You were unresponsive for several minutes!"

"I'm fine." An absolute lie. Kimi smiled. "Sorry, it just scared me a little." Not entirely a lie.

The other woman seemed unconvinced, but she didn't press the point. After a few seconds of observation, Misaki spoke. "Alright. I think that's enough for now. Let's work on something that doesn't require chakra, just to allow your coils to settle. They're a bit aggravated, but they're otherwise normal."

Kimi stared off into space, distracted by her own chakra. "Sounds good."

Misaki continued to talk to her, voice soothing and gentle. Kimi didn't understand anything but the last part. "Why don't we head to the greenhouse? I can teach you about some of the plants we grow there."

"Sure," said Kimi. In a daze, she followed Misaki. Normally, Kimi would be extremely interested in learning about the different organisms in this new world. She had read several books on the subject, as agriculture and horticulture were one of the few subjects with little restrictions.

But no matter how hard she tried, Kimi couldn't focus on anything.

The sensation of chakra was all-consuming.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Kimi sat alone in her room.<p>

Her chakra was slightly less distracting. But not really.

With a sigh, she tried to think about it reasonably. Her conscious mind had never felt chakra before. And not knowing what to do with the sensation, it had probably blocked it out. A form of repression, so to speak—an unconscious reaction to keep memories from interfering.

Misaki had accidently awakened the part of Kimi's brain that dealt with chakra, bringing it to the forefront.

Or so Kimi suspected. This was all purely conjuncture.

Chakra. The more she thought about it, the more it confused her. And the more distracted she became.

Slowly, she pushed thoughts about chakra away and tried to shift her focus to a different topic.

For example, the issue with the Yamanaka.

Here again was the disturbing pattern. The clan was being much too nice to her. The clan heir, his wife, and his brother were all teaching her. She was allowed to enter into their compound and use their training equipment. Hell, Misaki had come straight from the daycare to—

Oh.

The gears in her mind started turning. Slowly, Kimi struggled to create a coherent explanation from the facts she knew.

Perhaps… perhaps she was a guinea pig, in a way. One that would help prepare Inoichi and Misaki for having kids. After all, the two were in their early twenties. Since Inoichi was the clan heir, he was expected to continue the line and raise the next clan head. Maybe Kimi was practice for that.

Actually, that would actually make a lot of sense. To keep their reputation clean, they had wanted to train a child with potential. She had revealed her intelligence to them, making her the perfect candidate. And unlike the Yamanaka clan children, Kimi could be thrown away with little consequence.

It would also explain why Inoichi was her main teacher. Kimi had barely talked to anyone else from the Yamanaka clan, bar Misaki and Isamu. _Crap._ Her eyes widened. She'd basically been isolated.

With a shudder, Kimi suddenly realized how disposable she was. They were being nice to her, sure, but that didn't mean _anything._ It was standard manipulation; if you made someone feel wanted, they were more likely do what _you_ wanted. In truth, Kimi bet she held very little value to them.

She closed her eyes—mind in still turmoil from the recent revelation and her new chakra sense.

Kimi probably wouldn't get any sleep tonight, either.

* * *

><p>Misaki waited quietly outside the room. Her patience was soon rewarded; the door opened, and the previous visitor walked out, nodding respectfully to her as he left.<p>

"Come in," said the authoritative voice.

Misaki entered the room, gracefully bowing to the clan head. "Inobu-sama," she greeted. The man put aside his paperwork and acknowledged her with a kind smile. He tilted his head slightly, giving Misaki tacit permission to speak.

"I worked with Mita Kimiko today." Misaki paused, gathering her thoughts before she proceeded.

"And?" promped Inobu. "What did you think?"

"She's very bright, just like Inoichi said. I think he made the right choice." She frowned slightly. "Since Inoichi in the hospital right now, he asked me to begin working on chakra control. I started with a simple exercise to make her more aware of her chakra, and…" Misaki hesitated. "Saying she reacted badly would be an understatement."

"That is not an unusual occurrence with civilian-raised children. They are generally not acclimated with their chakra."

"Yes, but Kimi's reaction was especially severe. She seemed to be unresponsive and in pain for several minutes, though it soon faded."

Inobu raised an eyebrow. "Do you think it will interfere with her ability to be a ninja?"

"No. From what I could sense, her chakra coils are normal. Even during and after her episode, I could feel nothing wrong . Kimi has a slight imbalance when it comes to spiritual chakra, but it shouldn't affect her too severely."

"Good. Please keep me informed of any new developments."

Misaki bowed again and left the room.

* * *

><p>The next day, Kimi arrived bright and early at the Yamanaka compound. She headed to the training grounds and began practicing the taijutsu moves she had been taught, intent on ignoring the drowsiness that threatened to engulf her. Six year old bodies did not operate well on three hours of sleep.<p>

"Hello, Kimi-chan!"

She whirled around. Ninja were, as expected, incredibly quiet. Regardless of how many times it happened, Kimi was always spooked by their sudden appearances.

"Inoichi-sensei!" she exclaimed. "You look really… bad." She eyed the bandages around his arms and legs. "What happened?" _I don't think you were just 'too busy' the other day. Unless you count being injured as 'too busy.'_

Inoichi gave a tired chuckle. "Nothing important. I'm doing fine, don't worry."

"That's good to know."

He walked closer, limping slightly. "I heard you worked on chakra?"

"Yes." Kimi winced. "It didn't go so well." Even now, the sensation of chakra buzzed through her fingertips, always in the corner of her mind.

"That's fine. You just started to learn about it. No one expects you to be a master already." With a flourish of his wrist, Inoichi made several leaves appear in his hand. "Practice makes perfect, after all. So why don't we begin?" Inoichi smiled, causing Kimi to wince. That expression never led to anything good.

* * *

><p>Kimi discovered that she had terrible chakra control.<p>

Her fingers twitched as the leaf fell off for the hundredth time. Muttering under her breath, she picked it up and tried again.

Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ chakra. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get it to work! It was like suddenly finding an extra leg. Kimi couldn't use it—she simply had no idea _how_ to use it. She scowled, eyes narrowing.

_Scratch that. Controlling chakra is like trying to use a newly-discovered leg, arm, and nose while riding a flaming unicycle._

"Maybe we should take a break. You've been at this for at least an hour." His words only darkened her mood. She felt like tearing the leaf apart.

Inoichi looked almost bemused. He hadn't seen Kimi display so much _genuine _outward emotion before. Inoichi tried again. "You don't need to be so angry, Kimi-chan. You just started working with chakra. Besides, perfect chakra control isn't necessary to become a kunoichi."

"It's necessary to become a _medic_," she snarled. If she couldn't control her chakra properly, then her chances of living a non-murderous life were shot to hell.

Kimi glared at the leaf before sighing deeply. Getting angry wouldn't help her. She tried to clear her mind, like she was supposed to, and attempted again to control the odd substance circulating under her skin. Kimi wiped the sweat off her forehead and placed the leaf on it again.

_Think. It's like surface tension. Cohesive forces. You can do this._

She visualized a thin coating of chakra, willing the leaf to stick to her forehead. Kimi felt a small spark of chakra jump from her skin, but the leaf fell off before anything happen.

"Kimi-chan—"

She ignored her teacher and tried again. She placed the leaf on her forehead, trying to recreate the sparks she felt earlier.

_Come on, come on…_

It worked.

The leaf stayed on her forehead, defying gravity for a few precious moments beyond what was natural. Then, nature reasserted itself, but she didn't care.

"I did it," she whispered, joy bubbling up like the giggles that threatened to spill over. "I did it!"

Kimi gave in and began to laugh, feeling more relief than she thought was possible. "Sensei! It worked!" _I disobeyed the laws of physics! I can do magic!_

Inoichi grinned and ruffled her hair. She let it slide, too happy to complain.

"Yeah, I noticed. Good job, Kimi-chan."

Kimi looked at her teacher, still smiling. "Inoichi-sensei, using chakra is like training a muscle, right? The more you use it, the better you get?"

"For the most part, yes. That's why it's so important to develop skills at a young age. Even if you aren't particularly talented now, you can always improve in the future." He paused. "But like a muscle, it's also possible to overexert yourself. Feel free to practice, but don't go overboard. Ok?"

"Got it."

_Becoming a medic is still possible. I just need to work for it_. Unconsciously, she clenched her fists. _And I'm no stranger to hard work._

* * *

><p>Kimi had never worked so hard in her life.<p>

Well, perhaps med school was close, but never before did she have this burning motivation to succeed. Bringing up her chakra control became a priority. Everytime Kimi felt like giving up, she simply remembered that the alternative was murder. That was surprisingly good motivation. Kimi practiced the leaf exercise until she could do it in her sleep. Then, she moved on to multiple leaves, pebbles, and even sticks.

_I am Sticky Girl! Fear my wrath!_

Kimi smirked at the horrible pun and added yet another twig. So far, her limit was twelve. Her goal was fifteen, and she was close.

Idly, she marveled at the almost magnetic nature of chakra. It was absolutely incredible. _I wonder if there's any limit to what chakra can do. Speaking of limits, does this exercise only work for solid objects? I wonder if I can do it with water…_

She'd have to ask one of her teacher. But Inoichi had vanished again, Isamu was _busy_, and Misaki was simply unavailable. Perhaps she could experiment… but then again, playing around with explosive magic energy might not be the best of ideas.

_I'll try it. But only when one of my teachers is supervising._

* * *

><p>Her mother blinked.<p>

"Kimi, why is there a leaf on your forehead?"

Her father looked up from his newspaper.

"Leaves, actually," he corrected.

Kimi's mother rolled her eyes. "Fine. Kimi, why are there _leaves_ on your forehead?"

The mentioned girl grinned sheepishly, causing a leaf to fall off. She picked it up and pressed it onto her forehead.

"I'm just practicing," Kimi hedged. "Working on chakra control." She had been walking around with leaves on her forehead to work on her unconscious control—Kimi could do the exercise perfectly while concentrating, but she wanted to do it automatically as well.

Her mother glanced away briefly. "Oh," she said softly. Her mother rallied and smiled. "But is it necessary to look like a tree branch while doing it?"

Kimi tentatively smiled back. "Yeah. I want to be a medic, and medic's need good chakra control."

Her mother's expression softened. "That's my girl. It's always been in your nature to help others."

"Thanks, mom." And she meant it.

Kimi's father folded his newspaper and walked out of the room. Though she tried, Kimi was unable to completely hide the expression of hurt and guilt on her face.

Her mother noticed—and pulled her in for a hug. Awkwardly, she tried to comfort her daughter. "Don't worry about your father. He'll come around. He's just a bit upset, that's all. He's always been a bit wary of shinobi. But everything will turn out fine. I promise."

Kimi returned the hug, but she was unable to entirely quiet her cynical nature. For some strange reason, she doubted that everything would truly be alright.

* * *

><p>After two weeks of "self-study," Kimi was finally able to talk to one of her teachers. Though she wasn't entirely sure, Kimi suspected that Konoha was about to win the war—and was thus preparing for the final stages.<p>

"Misaki-sensei," said Kimi cheerfully. "How are you?"

The tired lady smiled at the younger girl. "I'm doing well. How are you, Kimi?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking!" Her hand strayed to her hair absentmindedly. "Though I've been a bit worried about my hair," admitted Kimi.

Unlike many others in Konoha, Kimi had no distinguishing features. Her eyes and hair were a dark brown, just like practically everyone in the Land of Fire. (Though she'd never admit it out loud, Kimi was just a little disappointed about that. It might not be practical, but brightly colored hair was simply _cool._) However, her hair had recently begun to change. Her formerly stick-straight had become slightly wavy. Normally, it would be nothing odd—changes in hair texture weren't unusual during childhood and adolescence—but the change had begun just after she started using chakra. Correlation doesn't equal causation, but…

Misaki laughed softly. "It's nothing to worry about. Chakra reacts strongly with keratin and melanin. It's one of the reasons ninja tend to have unusual coloring and hair."

"I'm guessing that chakra affects germ cells too," Kimi wondered out loud. "That would explain why the children of ninja also have those traits."

"Indeed," agreed Misaki. She quickly changed the subject back to training. "Now, I believe you wanted to work with chakra?"

"Yeah. Inoichi-sensei showed me the leaf exercise, and I've been working on it."

"I see. Could you demonstrate?"

"Sure." Kimi grabbed a few leaves from the ground. With ease, she attached them to her hands. She continued to do so until both hands were covered in leaves. "I can do it with sticks and rocks, too. My limit is fifteen, so far. I wanted to try it with water, but I didn't want to do it with no supervision."

"Smart choice," agreed Misaki. "I'm impressed, Kimi-chan. That's a lot of improvement for just two weeks."

Kimi flushed slightly. "It's mainly practice."

Misaki smiled. "I think it would be a good idea to try it with water. However, compared to solid objects, water reacts very differently to chakra." With that, Misaki directed Kimi to the pond by the fields. "Try dipping your hands in the water. See if you can keep the water on your hands."

Carefully, Kimi dipped her hands into the water. Misaki watched like a hawk as Kimi struggled to keep the water on her hands. She wasn't even close to being successful at the new exercise.

"Interesting," murmured Misaki. The pensive expression was quickly replaced with a smiling one. "Kimi-chan, I want to try something new today. How do you feel about working with genjutsu?"

Kimi blinked once. "Ok." Genjutsu… That was illusions, right?

Misaki start to explain. "Genjutsu works by affecting the chakra flow in the brain. Crudely put, it causes hallucinations. It requires precise chakra. If done improperly, it causes brain damage to both the user and the afflicted. Let's begin."

"Wait. Didn't you _just say_ it causes _brain damage?_" said Kimi incredulously. "I have horrible chakra control!"

"I'll be casting it on _you_, not the other way around." Misaki smiled. "Don't worry. I'm an infilitration specialist. Sensing, poisons, and genjutsu are my specialties. I have plenty of practice."

"Alright," she said finally. "What do you want me to do?"

"Now, you might not be able to feel it at first, but I'm going to cast a simple visual illusion." Misaki sped through some hand signs and muttered something under her breath.

Unlike what Misaki said, Kimi felt it immediately—the same burning sensation that had happened during the first time she used chakra, though this time it was in her head.

_Get it out get it out get it OUT._ In a panic, Kimi began releasing chakra through her hands, as if she was trying to make something stick to them. To her relief, it worked. The strange chakra feeling faded away, and she let out a sigh.

"I see." Misaki nodded to herself. "That explains it."

"What is it?"

"We'll have to go to a doctor to confirm, but I think you're chakra hypersensitive."

Kimi tilted her head. "What?"

"Chakra Hypersensitivity, as the name suggests, is a condition that causes the chakra coils to be oversensitive. It often causes leads to poor control and extreme reactions to foreign chakra. But it won't affect your career as a ninja," Misaki reassured.

_Damn it. I wish it did._

"We'll know for sure when you have your Academy check –up." Misaki smiled.

Weakly, Kimi smiled back.

With a start, she realized that the Fall session of the Academy started in one week. Soon, there would be no backing out of it.

Her life would change drastically—for better, or for worse.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> This chapter was slow but necessary. The next chapter will be about her experience(s) at the Academy.

This chapter's recommendation is **What Doesn't Kill You **by _Zbluez._ It's absolutely phenomenal, and it had a huge influence on this fanfic. I borrowed that fanfic's theory for chakra, as I haven't found a better explanation. If you haven't read it yet, you should. It's much better than this one.

Thank you all for reading. All comments and questions are welcome and encouraged.


	4. Discovering

**Chapter Four: Discovering**

* * *

><p>The week passed in a flurry of tests.<p>

First, the hospital had examined every nearly every aspect of her health. Kimi had noticed that their mental evaluation was extremely lacking, but at least their physical one was very thorough. She sat patiently in the hospital room, listening as Misaki informed her about the final test.

"Now that they've examined your physical and mental health, all that's left is to test your chakra."

"Neat." Kimi tapped her foot softly against the floor. A few minutes passed before the door opened and the doctor walked in.

"I am Dr. Hyuuga Haruki," said the lady briskly. "I believe you have come here for chakra evaluations. You are Mita Kimiko and Yamanaka Misaki, yes?"

"That is correct," replied Misaki.

Kimi observed the doctor. Her pale, pupil-less eyes confirmed that she was indeed a Hyuuga, and the hitai-ate around her forehead marked her as a branch member. If Kimi remembered correctly, only the main family kept their forehead bare.

Unsurprisingly, Hyuuga Haruki was a woman. It seemed that almost every doctor in Konoha General was female. When she had asked Misaki about it, the older lady had given a sardonic smile before stating that a woman's nature was better suited to nurturing and the healing arts. That struck Kimi as a bit odd and more than little sexist, but she wasn't about to change her career choice because of that. For some strange reason, Kimi really didn't care about the issues surrounding equal-opportunity murder.

Dr. Hyuuga skimmed the files in her hand before stepping forward. The veins around her eyes bulged as she activated her dojutsu.

_Incredible. I wonder how the Byakugan works?_

"Channel chakra through this paper," Dr. Hyuuga said, handing a small paper to Kimi. "I assume you know how to."

Kimi nodded before sending a pulse of chakra through her hands. The tenkutsu on her hands were the easiest to use, and manipulating chakra through them had become almost effortless. To her slight disappointment, nothing happened to the paper; it didn't crinkle, burn, or do anything else.

_Maybe it's not for elemental affinities?_

The doctor pursed her lips. "Give me your hand."

Kimi held out her hand, and the doctor held it lightly. Then, the Hyuuga—with Byakugan still activated—sent a jolt of chakra through her hand. Kimi flinched and yanked her hand away. The doctor scribbled a few notes down.

"I see. Mita Kimiko does indeed suffer from chakra hypersensitivity. It is relatively mild, so it should have no effect on her career. Other than that, her chakra sense is normal. Her blood work should be finished in three days, and the information will be sent to the Yamanaka clan." Dr. Hyuuga had recited everything in a bland, emotionless monotone. She turned to leave, clearly finished with the examination.

"Um… doctor?" called out Kimi.

She paused by the door. "Yes?" she said, with a hint of annoyance.

"What do you mean by chakra sense? I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me." Kimi knew that the doctor was busy, but she simply couldn't pass the opportunity to ask questions to another doctor. Misaki smiled with a sort of fond exasperation; Kimi had interrogated almost every medical personnel that she had come in contact in.

Dr. Hyuuga's annoyance grew, but she answered regardless. "Chakra sense refers to how a person's chakra system reacts to foreign chakra. Generally, it is divided into two categories: internal and external. Most people have normal chakra sense, which means the ability to distinguish between signatures within the system and at close range. People with chakra _super_sensitivity are individuals with greater than average ability to distinguish between types of chakra. They are often referred to as sensors. _You_ suffer from internal chakra _hyper_sensitivity, which means that your internal system is sensitive to the point of debilitation. You appear to have no aptitude in external sensing." The doctor sighed sharply, wrapping up her hasty but coherent monologue. She left without another word, causing Misaki to chuckle quietly.

Mentally, Kimi filed the new information away. While the trip to the hospital had been tedious, it had also been very informative.

* * *

><p>Now that her medical documents were all in order, Kimi could take the placement tests.<p>

_Joy. More tests. _Just _what I need._

Both Inoichi and the Academy teacher had told her that the placement tests were incredibly important, so she decided to put _slightly_ more effort into it than normal. So, going by the old grading system, Kimi aimed for about seventy-five percent. She had no doubt that they were giving her a hard test by a kid's standards—for all she knew, it could be the final exam—so getting _too_ high of a score wouldn't help her.

The written assessment consisted of three sections: chakra studies, civic studies, and basic studies. The first was self-explanatory, as it covered the theory of chakra use. Civic studies covered the procedures, laws, and rules of Konoha, while basic studies included but was not limited to math, history, and language arts.

The practical assessment was also divided into three sections: taiutsu (martial arts), ninjutsu (chakra techniques), and bukijutsu (weapon use). Kimi understandably found this part harder than the written one, though it wasn't as hard as she expected.

By the time she finished with both sections of the test, Kimi's mind and body were exhausted. The second she reached home, she collapsed in her bed and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Kimi received her acceptance the two days later, officially announcing her enrolment into the Academy. With a sinking heart, she showed it to her parents before tucking it into her bookshelf. Kimi stared at her small hands.<p>

Sometimes, she really hated this.

This strange body, this violent world… this constant dance on a tightrope—struggling to juggle secrets and memories.

But then, she would remember her new family, her second chance, and her joy at simply being _alive._

No… this wasn't her old world. But it was her world _now, _and she could do nothing but accept it. New resolve filled her. She would have to make the best of it.

* * *

><p>"Good luck, Kimi. I'm sure you'll do great!" Her mother hugged her tightly.<p>

"Thanks, mom."

Kimi's dad patted her lightly on her head. Kimi rolled her eyes and latched on to him with a hug. Sighing softly, her dad hugged her back wholeheartedly.

"Bye, dad."

"Have fun at at school," he said quietly.

"I'll try." She grinned wryly at her dad. She opened the door, prepared for her first day at the Academy.

"Wait!"

Kimi looked back at her parents.

"Mom?" she asked, confused.

Her mother bit her lip in anxiety—a habit that Kimi had also picked up. "Well," said her mother slowly, "I understand if you don't want to, but… is it ok if I walk you to school?"

Kimi's eyes softened. "Of course, mom."

Her father looked away. "I'd come too," he mumbled, "but I have work and—"

"I know. It's fine. Love you dad!" After one final goodbye to her father, Kimi grabbed her mom's hand and started walking down the street. Her mother was silent for several minutes, something that was unusual for the peppy and cheerful older woman.

"Is something wrong?"

Her mother smiled. "No… I was just thinking about how fast you've been growing. It seems like just yesterday you were a baby in my arms." She carefully touched Kimi's hair. "And you look so different, too!"

Self-consciously, Kimi tucked her hair behind her ear. She had gotten a haircut yesterday, shortening her hair to a few inches above her shoulder. But Kimi had forgotten a key fact about wavy hair—the shorter it was, the wilder it became. Now, her hair was unbelievably frizzy, which was made worse by Konoha's natural humidity.

But her hair wasn't the only thing that had changed. Misaki had taken her to a store to buy ninja clothing. Of course, Kimi had picked the most civilian-looking outfit, which happened to be a short skirt, shirt, and jacket. Like it had promised, the clan paid for all her supplies, including clothing.

_They better_, she thought bitterly. _No need to waste hard-earned money._

Her family's strange turn in fortunes hadn't escaped her notice. Not long after she had accepted the scholarship, her father's suppliers suddenly started working with him again. She didn't know if the Yamanaka were behind it, but she wouldn't put it past them.

"Kimi? Hello? Are you there?"

Kimi blinked then grinned sheepishly. "Sorry!"

Her mother laughed. "You don't need to apologize, Kimi! Though we're already here, you know…"

With a start, Kimi realized that they had arrived at the Academy. "Oh." She reached up and hugged her mother again. "Bye, mom. Don't worry! I'll do great!"

Kimi didn't know who she was reassuring. It seemed like both of them needed it.

* * *

><p>Acceptance letter in hand, Kimi stood in the large courtyard with the other students.<p>

_Wow. The Academy is… really cliquey. _

The kids had congregated into little clumps based on clan affiliation. Children from the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans stood near the center, all laughing and chatting. The Inuzaka clan kids were wild and rambunctious, chasing each other across the courtyard, dogs in tow. The Aburame clan congregated in the far corner, silent and isolated. With amusement, Kimi realized that the aloof Hyuuga and Uchiha clan kids were on opposite sides of the courtyard—and that a glaring contest had started among a few of the younger members.

Sure, there were other, smaller groups of kids, but Kimi couldn't identify any of the clans, excluding the ones she'd seen in the show. She made a mental note to learn more.

Slowly, Kimi began to walk through the courtyard. Technically, she _could_ stand with the Yamanaka kids, but she didn't know any of them, despite being an "affiliate" of their clan. Instead, she made her way to a group of nervous-looking kids dressed in rather ordinary clothes. Civilians, from the look of it. But before she could do anything, the head instructor began to speak. His voice echoed loudly, drawing everyone's attention.

"Welcome, students." The man's expression was made more by his deep frown lines. He appeared to be in his late thirties, which was certainly old for a ninja. "Now, I understand that your _enthusiasm _for learning is simply unmatched." Kimi quirked a smile at the blatant sarcasm. "However, before we begin, our esteemed Hokage, the Third Lord Hiruzen-sama, wishes to say a few words."

The kids burst into whispers, quieting only when the Hokage stepped to the podium. Kimi examined the leader of Konoha carefully, noting his authoritative stance and kind yet tired eyes. If the instructor was old by ninja standards, then the Hokage was positively ancient. The older man waited until everyone became silent again.

"The Will of Fire is the philosophy that binds Konoha together." His voice was deep, gravely, and steadfast. "Although we may come from different families, we are _one. _Never forget that."

The speech continued for about a minute more, full of platitudes and patriotism. Of course, the Hokage encouraged them to become strong ninja and so on. He seemed sincere but also rather sad.

_As he should be. He's sending _children_ to war. _

* * *

><p>Kimi sat in the back of the classroom, trying to remain as unnoticeable as possible. She examined the kids around her. Many looked physically older than her, which was expected, really. Although the standard Academy program was six years long, Kimi had been placed in the third year. Well, considering that the first two years were mainly to bring up civilian kids up to speed… it wasn't too much of an accomplishment. More of an acknowledgement, really.<p>

She scanned the room for characters that she knew, but that was made harder because _nobody looked like cartoons. _Everyone looked… well, human.

Then, the teacher started calling out roll.

"Akita Io, Eto Tsubaki ..."

Attentaively, Kimi listened to each name. "… Ikeda Hakui, Jujiro Mizuki …."

She frowned. Mizuki? That sounded familiar, but she couldn't figure out why. Kimi mentally shrugged and kept listening. Soon, the teacher reached the end of the list.

" … Umino Iruka, and Uzuki Yugao."

She blinked. Iruka… wasn't that Naruto's teacher? And she'd heard the name _Yugao_ before, too. Kimi wrote the three familiar names down, just in case.

After a cursory introduction, the class went straight to work. First, the teacher reviewed the basic subjects, making sure that they hadn't forgotten everything over the break. After that was taijutsu practice, then civic studies, and finally, lunch.

Kimi noted that the classes were much harder than the civilian ones. Were they challenging for a twenty-something year old who had graduated from med school? Not at all. Well, excepting taijusu practice, that is. Her old memories had no effect on her _muscle_ memory. To her slight disappointment, the Yamanaka had already taught her much of what the Academy was currently reviewing. But it was only the first day of school. Hopefully, she'd learn _something _new.

With a small sigh, Kimi looked around the courtyard for a place to sit. Although she felt slightly guilty for thinking it, Kimi really didn't want to sit with any clan kids. She'd already had enough of clan politics, thank you very much.

In the end, she decided to sit with the purple-haired girl—Yugao, if she remembered correctly—in the corner. She might as well try to figure out why Yugao's name seemed so familiar. Besides, the girl appeared lonely, and Kimi's bleeding heart prevented her from leaving the kid alone.

"Hello!" she said, cheerfully introducing herself. "I'm Kimi. Can I eat lunch with you?"

Yugao looked up, startled. "Um… ok. You can join us. Tsubaki and Hakui aren't here yet, but I don't they care."

Oh. Apparently, Yugao wasn't eating alone. Regardless, Kimi plopped down next to the other girl. Wasting no time, she unpacked her homemade lunch and began eating the onigiri with relish.

_Man, mom's such a good cook._

"So… Kimi-chan," began Yugao tentatively, "I haven't seen you before."

Kimi smiled. "Yeah, I'm new. This is my first year in the Academy."

Yugao seemed a bit impressed. "This is my second."

Kimi mentally did the math. So, that meant that Yugao had skipped a year.

Yugao suddenly stood up and waved. "Hakui-chan! Tsubaki-chan! Over here!"

The two aforementioned girls quickly made their way to the tree.

"Hi Yugao!" said the one with black hair and dark eyes. "And… who are you?"

"I'm Kimi. Can I eat lunch with you?"

"I guess." Tsubaki shrugged before sitting down. "I'm Tsubaki."

The shorter brunette ducked her head shyly before joining the rest. "My name's Hakui," she said softly. "Nice to meet you."

"Same here!"

In the easy way that only children could do, the trio of girls easily absorbed Kimi into their group. The girls were different ages—Tsubaki was nine, Yugao and Hakui were seven, and Kimi was six—but they all treated each other as friends. (Relatively, at least. The kids were much too young for Kimi to think of as equals.) Although Kimi was out of the loop on some issues, like childhood crushes, she was able to participate in the rest of the conversation. To her surprise, the girls were already thinking about their specialization and future as kunoichi.

"I'm gonna be a kenjutsu master!" announced Yugao proudly. "My dad's real good with swords, and I'm gonna be just like him!"

Hakui wrinkled her nose. "But that's so dirty! Don't you wanna be a med-nin or scout?"

"Well, I _am_ a sensor…" Yugao thought about it for a moment. "No, swords are still cooler."

"But _I'm_ gonna be a med-nin. Fixing people is what I gotta to do. At least, that's what my mom told me."

Tsubaki frowned. "I don't know what I'm gonna do. I'm bad with chakra control, so I can't be a medic… I guess working as a scout would be cool."

"What about you, Kimi-chan?" asked Yugao.

"A doctor," replied Kimi. "Medicine is really interesting."

Disappointment appeared on Yugao's face. "Oh. That's neat, I think."

The conversation quickly turned away from ninja stuff and more to things that regular kids talked about, like summer break and school.

_Even if they were in ninja school, kids would be kids._

* * *

><p>In some ways, the Academy wasn't that different from its civilian counterpart. It still had classes, recess, and lunch breaks. Kids wrote notes in class, turned in homework, and took tests on the material. The written studies operated in about the same way as the civilian school's subjects.<p>

But in other ways, the Academy was completely different.

For one thing, the atmosphere was incredibly competitive. Everyone was pushed to become the best at almost any cost, leading all kinds of cutthroat behavior. Friendships became more like alliances as eight-year olds participated in an odd sort of politics. The clan kids especially succeeded in this environment. They had an extra edge from training at home, end they also possessed an already solid social network. Children from ninja families did alright, for about the same reasons as the clan kids. The civilian kids were basically thrown to the sharks. Most were weeded out in the first two years, though the war meant that the standards for advancement had dropped.

Underneath this already tense mood was an undercurrent of… urgency. The higher-ups were pushing for more soldiers, and more soldiers meant more early graduations. In just the first week of school, several kids were moved up a grade, and one was immediately promoted to genin.

Kimi supposed she was lucky, in a way. She had managed to integrate herself into a group of friends with a ninja background, despite being a civilian. Yugao and Hakui's parents had been genin teammates, and Hakui's mother currently worked with Tsubaki's mother. Kimi had noticed that the kids in the Academy generally didn't form friendships outside of their little groups. And at the same time, she managed to fly under the radar, keeping her ranking at exactly ten—the bare minimum required for her sponsorship, but not high enough to attract too much attention from the teacher. Kimi felt so incredibly bad for the civilian kids who had no idea what they were doing and the over-achievers who found themselves graduating much too soon. She did her best to be nice to them, but sometimes, that wasn't enough.

Kimi took solace in the fact that the war would end soon. At most, it would last for another year. Once it ended, then perhaps these children would be given a chance for a more normal life.

* * *

><p>About a month in to the new school year, Kimi was well on her way to adjusting to the curriculum. The written subjects were a breeze, and the practical subjects weren't too different from the training the Yamanaka's had given her, even if it was much harder. Kimi compensated for her average practical scores by getting perfect scores on all the written tests. She soon fell into a routine and began to appreciate the (incredibly slight) challenge that the harder work posed.<p>

Unfortunately, at around the same time, Kimi ran face first into a problem caused by the ultra-competitive atmosphere.

* * *

><p>"So all you have to do is—" She paused, distracted by the shouting coming from the other side of the courtyard. "Um, multiply by ten to find the percentage. Does that make sense?"<p>

"Wow, Kimi, you're so smart!" said Tsubaki admiringly. "I got it, now."

"Thanks." Concerned, Kimi bit her lip when she heard the shouts grow louder. "What's going on?"

Tsubaki shrugged. "I dunno. Probably the boys doing something stupid." She wrinkled her nose.

"Huh." Kimi stood up, grabbing her bag.

"Hey, where're you going?"

"I just want to see what's going on. I'll see you after lunch, ok? You should finish the rest of your homework."

"Uh, ok."

Kimi began jogging to the other side of the yard. She frowned as the voices became clearer, allowing her to understand what was being said.

It didn't sound nice at all.

"Aw, is the civie crying? Are you sad that you're stupid?"

"Shut up!"

"You're a big fat idiot, you know?"

She turned the corner and saw a group three boys taunting two others.

"Yeah, they're retards!"

She narrowed her eyes. The brunet was standing stock still, frustrated and clearly angry. He hadn't responded to their insults, but Kimi could see the beginning of tears form in his eyes. The white-haired one was glaring at them, face red with anger. She suppressed a sigh. Though the Academy teachers ran a tight ship in the classroom, they really didn't care about what happened outside of it.

_Dammit. My bleeding heart is going to get me in serious trouble one day._

"What's going on?" she asked, stepping forward and smiling.

The kids all looked at her. "What the hell do you want?" replied the tallest one, a gangly boy of about nine. The red markings on his cheek marked him as an Inuzuka.

"I was just wondering what you were doing." Kimi deliberately positioned herself between the bullies and the victims.

"None of your business."

"Really? I think you're being a bit mean," she said mildly. "Why are you picking on them?"

"We're not pickin' on them." A red-eyed kid smirked. "We're just givin' them a little help, ya know."

"Motivation!" added a bespectacled boy. "We need to put the losers in their place!"

She looked at them in silence.

_They're just children, _she thought, suddenly feeling rather old. _They're practically babies._

"Why do you say that?"

"Why do _you_ care? Stop asking dumb questions!"

Kimi ignored him. "So you think civilians are stupid?"

"Well, duh!" The Inuzuka barred his teeth, displaying his fangs. His canine companion did the same.

"So you think the Yellow Flash is stupid? His parents were civilians, you know."

He turned red. "Nuh-uh!"

"It's true."

The red-eyed one scowled. "You're just a dumb girl. What d'_you_ know?"

"Tsunade-hime's a girl. Are you calling her dumb? The head of the Inuzuka clan is a girl. Are you calling her dumb?"

"N-no, but—"

The Inuzuka boy growled. "Watch your mouth or I'll rip your throat out."

Kimi sighed out loud. _Again. Children. _"You know, lunchtime's almost over. Here." Kimi opened her bag and pulled out a couple of onigiri. "You want some?" she offered to the bullies.

All the boys stared at her, confusion clearly etched on their faces.

"No, seriously. I have extras. You want some?"

The Inuzuka boy grinned. "Sure!" He grabbed one from her hand, sniffed it carefully, and messily ripped it in two. He shoved one half into his own mouth and tossed the other to his partner.

After inspecting her and the onigiri with suspicion, the other two took the offered food.

"Why don't you three go play ninja or something? You have better things to do."

Kimi glanced at the bullied boys. Both were looking at her with a combination of hurt and confusion.

"You know," she said, "I have more food. Do you want to come eat lunch with my friends and me?"

The two boys exchanged looks.

"Please?"

"Ok," said brown-haired boy, speaking for the first time.

"Great!" She herded the two boys to her corner of the yard. "I'm Kimi. What're your names?"

"Umino Iruka," mumbled the kid with the ponytail.

"Jujiro Mizuki."

Kimi blinked once. _I'm sure that __Iruka was Naruto's teacher. But Mizuki... I know that name. But from where?_ "Cool." She carefully eyed the two boys next to her. "If you don't mind me asking, why were the other kids picking on you?"

Iruka looked down, and Mizuki glowered.

"Cause they're jerks," muttered Iruka.

After a few seconds, the white-haired boy answered. "They're jealous that I'm a civilian that does better than them. And Iruka doesn't get good grades, so they're mean to him too." His expression grew darker.

"Oh." Kimi hesitated. _I think he's pretty accurate, to be honest. Mizuki must have been rather isolated because of his background… and Iruka's been ostracized because he hasn't succeeded in school. _"I'm a civilian too, you know."

"Really?" asked Mizuki, trying to hide his shock.

"Yeah. Hey, I'll introduce you to my friends! They're all really nice…"

* * *

><p>It took longer for the other girls accept the boys, but in time, they too were assimilated into the group. Although the Iruka and Mizuki didn't always eat lunch with them, they did become fairly good friends with the girls. To Kimi's amusement, Tsubaki even developed a bit of a crush on Mizuki. All in all, Kimi felt fairly happy with her actions.<p>

Then, Kimi went and reread her journal—the one that had every detail she could remember about the show. The truth hit her like a lightning bolt.

_He's the traitor,_ she thought numbly. _He tries to kill Naruto._

Kimi frowned. _No. He _could _become a traitor. Right now, he's just a prickly nine-year old boy who's friends with Iruka._ She immediately felt a headache begin to develop, and with a sigh, she rubbed her temples. _I guess I could keep an eye on him… but the future isn't set in stone. I'll try not to judge people based on what could happen in a possible future._

* * *

><p>Kimi's training with the Yamanaka continued, but she quickly noticed that the focus had shifted.<p>

Instead of taijutsu and regular training, the instruction was instead concentrated on more specialized subjects. How to read body language, how to identify plants, and how to deceive…

The subtle arts were the Yamanaka's specialty, and they seemed willing to share their knowledge with her.

Kimi found it all incredibly fascinating. She took it in stride—at least, until they started working with poisons.

* * *

><p>Misaki calmly pointed out different plant, quizzing Kimi on the medicinal uses of each one. Kimi was entirely engrossed by the fact that even plants utilized chakra. In fact, some herbs even affected the human body's chakra system.<p>

"Good." Misaki smiled. "Which parts of the Guzen shrub are deadly, and which parts are not?"

"The leaves and berries are extremely poisonous, but the roots can be ground up to create an all-purpose panacea."

"I'm impressed, Kimi-chan. You remembered all of them perfectly."

"Thanks, Saki-sensei." The Academy took up a good amount of her day, but it still left enough time for Kimi to focus on learning other things. (Somewhere along the line, Kimi had begun to call the older woman by that nickname. Several hours in a greenhouse, pointing out plants and mixing antidotes, could really speed up bonding.)

Misaki gently guided her to the back room of the Yamanaka greenhouse. Here, the clan would prepare the plants. The room was large and clean, with various tools to create various tinctures.

"Now, I'm sure you know the difference between an antidote and a poison, correct?"

"Of course. Simply put, a poison is used to harm someone. An antidote is used to cure a poisoning."

"Yes, but what's the _specific_ difference between the substances?"

Kimi paused. "Well, sometimes there isn't a difference. An antidote, by itself, can sometimes have the same effect as a poison."

"Correct. Kimi, I know that we've generally worked with antidotes. You better learn to cure poisons before you learn to use them, right?"

"I guess…"

"I think you're ready to move on to the more dangerous subject."

Kimi swallowed, suddenly feeling rather uneasy. _Learning how to identify poisons will help you cure them,_ she reminded herself. _You don't have to use this knowledge to harm others._

With the serene patience Kimi had come to associate with her, Misaki explained the safety procedures and the different types of poisons. Kimi listened attentively. When it came to the management of poisons, the Yamanaka were quite thorough.

"Today, I want you to mix a poison using the Guzen berry, Wolf's Bane, and the Toku leaf." At Kimi's panicked expression, Misaki laughed. "Don't worry. It's only a mild paralytic. It's not deadly at all."

"But the Guzen shrub and Wolf's Bane are—"

"Incredibly deadly, I know. But the chemicals in the Guzen berry counteract the toxicity of Wolf's Bane. And—" Misaki stopped for a brief second. "It's impossible to overdose on the resulting poison." She coughed once. "Let's start with the Guzen berry…"

Kimi spent the next thirty minutes priming the Guzen berry and the next fifteen shredding the Wolf's Bane. The work was more labor-intensive than difficult, and the safety equipment that Kimi wore mitigated practically all the danger.

"All that's left is to add," Misaki's hand hovered over a series of glass vials, "the Toku extract." She handed a vial of colorless liquid to Kimi. "Three drops should be enough."

Kimi unstopped the bottle, noting that Toku had a strong, almost familiar smell. For some strange reason, Kimi thought that Misaki was watching her extra-carefully while she added the final touches.

"Wonderful," said Misaki, pleased. "Congrats, Kimi. You created your first poison. It's known as the Devil's Kiss. It's a tradition in the Yamanaka clan to mix this poison first."

"Thank you." _Hooray. What a big milestone. I can officially mix poisonous substances!_ "What does it do?"

"Other than being a mild paralytic, it also slows down reaction time and numbs sensation. Devil's Kiss is an excellent all-purpose poison. The side effects are very mild, so it's normally used to incapacitate. It's common to use that poison in practice spars."

"That's interesting."

"I think so, too. Let's bottle up the poison so we can store it safety for later use, ok?"

* * *

><p>Kimi went to the Shinobi Archives whenever she got the chance. Since she was now an Academy student, Kimi had slightly higher clearance. Though she generally hovered around the medical section, Kimi decided to head the area with books on poisons.<p>

All the books she could access were small and very uninformative. Kimi couldn't help but smirk at some of the titles. _Help! I'm Poisoned! _was a picture book about antidotes_. A Service to the Very Stupid Idiots Who Poisoned Themselves_ was an extremely censored public service announcement by Tsunade. _A Beginner's Guide to Poisons…_ that looked interesting.

Kimi opened the book and began skimming, searching for the section on the Devil's Kiss. To her delight, the book had a small blurb about it.

_The Devil's Kiss is a common poison used by many ninja in Konoha. It is unusual because it works as a hallucinogen, a paralytic, and an intoxicant. The addition of the Toku plant (page 31) causes…_

Kimi turned to page 31. Kimi had seen the small herb in the greenhouse, but she didn't know about its uses. There were quite a few plants in the greenhouse that she hadn't learned about, and the Toku plant was one of them.

_The Toku plant, also known as the Lover's Tongue, is a rare herb found only in certain locations in the Land of Fire. It is prized highly for its unique flavor and properties. Formerly, members of the nobility would drink alcoholic beverages with Toku extract, as the plant is famously known for loosening inhibitions and causing mild amnesia, allowing the upper class of society to engage in…_

Her eyes widened.

Suddenly, it all came together.

The interesting flavor of the tea.

The symptoms she had experienced after her meeting with the Yamanaka.

The familiar scent of the extract.

They had _fucking drugged her._

Her heart pounded in her ears.

How _dare_ they.

How _fucking dare_ they.

Dimly, Kimi realized that her hands were shaking. Slowly, she put the book down and took several deep breaths, trying to calm her rage. Quicky, her anger was replaced by a different emotion.

How could she have been so _stupid?_

The Yamanaka were _ninja._ Drugging a child was probably so inconsequential to them. Hell, they probably thought they were doing the _right _thing. She had been far, far too trusting.

Apparently, a child's body _did_ mean a child's naivety.

Her expression twisted into a sneer.

She would never make this mistake again.

* * *

><p>About six months after her entrance into the Academy, the Kanabi Bridge was destroyed, leading to the withdrawal of Iwa from the war.<p>

* * *

><p>Kimi stood next to her parents, holding their hands tightly.<p>

Namikaze Minato, the Yellow Flash and the new Yondaime, looked over the massive crowd. Practically everyone in Konoha was there, civilian or ninja. The esteemed Elder Council of Konoha, the leaders of the major clans, all the heroes of the war… and the shopkeepers, the farmers, and the merchants of the village.

Even from her place in the middle of the crowd, Kimi could feel the Hokage's blinding presence.

"Citizens of Konoha! I declare the Third Shinobi War to be finally over!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Every named character (except the Hyuuga doctor) is canon. This chapter had the first major canon event, and the next chapter should have another one.

There's nothing I love more than reviews, and all of you have made me extremely happy. I really appreciate it!

On a different note, I am looking for a **beta**! Please let me know if you're interested.

This chapter's recommendations are **Heaven and Hell** by _Abundant E _and **Aberration **by _Rin O' Gen._ The first is an engrossing story about the Uchiha clan in the Warring Clans era, while the second is an interesting take on the "person literally falls into the Naruto world" trope.

Please don't be afraid to comment or give me criticism. I have rhino-thick skin. Thank you for reading!


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